Legend Of Naruto
by Leaf Ranger
Summary: Naruto brings Sasuke back, only to be banished. But out in the world, he discovers new evils that threaten Konoha. With the help of a hero from another realm, he moves to protect his home. OC by Allan Pike. NaruHina of course.
1. The Stage is Set

**And I'm back.** **Hey guys, Leaf Ranger** **here again. I guess having the house to myself on a Saturday helps for a writer like me. Anyways, this is my third fanfic. Just a heads up for all of you. This is a NarutoxZelda crossover. If you don't enjoy that, this is your heads up. Another thing. There will be a FemKyuubi in this one, and I am thinking of possibly doing NaruHinaFemKyu. It all depends on what you guys think, and how I feel when I get to that spot. I might just end up making her Naruto's adoptive mom or sister. I don't know yet.**

**RS: I'm back!**

**Arashen: Can't let you two have all the fun.**

**LR: So, me, RagingStar, and Arashen will be hosting for now. Eventually, new and old faces will pop up, and keep your eyes out for reviewer chapters. I like doing the, because it helps you guys get involved. So, without further ado, let's get this go-**

**RS: Wait! We need to get the popcorn!**

**LR: Fine, just hurry!**

**RS leaves basement. Several minutes later, there is a loud explosion.**

**Arashen: Crap! (Races off to help)**

**LR: Why am I not surprised. (Runs off as well)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Zelda. Nor do I own enough insurance

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**Legend of Naruto**

**Chapter 1: The Stage is Set**

_In one time line, Naruto Uzumaki from Konohagakure no Sato was defeated by Sasuke Uchiha, a traitor to Konoha, in the Valley of the End. Because of this, he returned home, and trained to become stronger, and bring Sasuke back. What he didn't know was that because of this, there were two deaths in the world, which led to the conquering of the Elemental Nations by an evil from another realm. One was his only surviving blood relative, who died two years later, fighting against impossible odds. The other was a hero from another realm, who was killed a few days after arriving._

_But that is not this timeline._

Naruto slowly stood up in the crater he was in at the foot of the Shodaime Hokage's statue. The Kyuubi's chakra swirled around him, forming a type of cloak that was shaped like a fox. It formed two fox ears above his head, and one tail behind him.

Across from him, in a crater in the statue of Madara Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha was crouched over. The curse mark placed on him had gone to level two, turning the Uchiha's skin a dark brown grey, and his black hair grey as well. His eyes were black, with amber pupils. Two massive hands erupted from his back, like demonic wings.

Suddenly, Sasuke clutched his shoulder, where his curse mark was. At the same time, Naruto felt his left arm going numb, and he grimaced.

_I can't hold this power for long. It's too much._

"I see you can't hold that power for long either. Then let's end this now." Sasuke smirked, as he held his hand to the ground, his palm spread. Grey lightning formed in his hand, creating a chirping sound like a thousand birds.

Naruto nodded, and held out his right hand. A swirling vortex of chakra formed in it, but turned purple because of the effects of the demonic chakra. But suddenly, a voice echoed in his head.

"**Stupid mortal. He'll overpower you. Don't meet him like this, take him out another way.**"

Naruto would have told the demon kitsune to shut up, if Sasuke hadn't launched himself at Naruto, his wings flapping. Naruto leapt forward, holding his attack ready. But as they drew closer, a plan formed in Naruto's head. Just as they were about to collide, Naruto let go of his jutsu, and used his right hand to knock Sasuke's attack to one side. At the same time, a left hook smashed into Sasuke's face, and drove him into the rocks behind the waterfall. Both of them fell to the waters below.

Several minute's later, Kakashi Hatake, the famous "Copy Cat" ninja of Konoha arrived at the scene. The sliver haired jounin scanned the battle field, until he spotted a patch of orange on the far bank. He and his Pug dog summon Pakkun moved quickly. When they arrived, they found an unconscious Sasuke, with two large rips in the back of his blue Uchiha genin shirt. Naruto was lying next to him having dragged the unconscious boy out of the water. Naruto was definantly worse for wear. There was a hole in his orange jacket, which the scarring underneath confirmed what Kakashi feared.

_He used Chidori on Naruto. Why? Why did I teach him that blasted jutsu?!_

Naruto turned and smiled weakly at Kakashi. "Hey... sensei. Sasuke... still here?"

"Yeah. You got him Naruto. He's here, and we can take him back."

"That's good. I... I kept... my promise." With that, Naruto fell unconscious. Kakashi checked him over.

_He's alive_**. **_But he needs rest. And this blasted rain isn't helping._

Kakashi created a shadow clone, before turning to Pakkun. "Return to Hokage-sama, and tell her mission success. Sasuke has been captured. Tell her to have the hospital on ready for both Naruto and Sasuke."

"Right." The little pug looked at Naruto. "He is one heck of a kid. I can't believe he defeated Sasuke Uchiha."

"He's a lot stronger than we give him credit for." With that, Pakkun disappeared, and the Kakashi's carried Naruto and Sasuke away.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

At the gates of Konoha, several people waited. Most were dressed in the garb of the medic ninja's of Konoha's hospital. A few were ANBU, while the remaining two were the chuunin guards at the gate post. The other one with them was a pink haired genin kunoichi, dressed in a red dress/shirt, and charcoal black shorts. Sakura Haruno had watched as one by one, the Sasuke Retrieval squad was brought back in. Chouji was thin, and pale as death. Neji had numerous piercing wounds on his body. Kiba, being carried by Kankuro of Suna, was still conscious, but bleeding from his side, while Akamaru was out cold. Shikamaru, with Temari, only had a broken finger, and Lee was fine, other than a couple cuts, strain to his injured leg and arm, and being tired. Gaara of Suna was about the same as Lee.

Nobody else saw the other kunoichi hiding near by. Her lavender eyes watching the forest for any sign of orange. The wind ruffled her short, indigo blue hair, and the two bangs that framed her face. She was wearing a large biege coat, with a furry collar and a red flame over a gold field. She had on black short pants, with a shuriken holster tied around her right thigh. She was holding her hands together, almost like she was praying.

_Is he safe?_ Hinata Hyuuga wondered. _Please, let him be safe._

Suddenly, there was a shout from atop the wall. Several shapes appeared in the distance, and within seconds, the last of the medical teams arrived. One of the medics was carrying Sasuke Uchiha, and Kakashi was carrying Naruto Uzumaki.

Sakura became overjoyed to see Sasuke, but that joy was diminished when she saw he was unconscious, and had dried blood in his hair and on one of his arms. She didn't pay any attention to Naruto. But Hinata did. She saw the wounds he had, and was almost in tears at the pitiful state he seemed to be in.

_He can't... he can't be dead._ She sank to the ground, crying, as the group rushed past to the hospital. The gate was closed, and Konoha was secured.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Tsunade sighed as she finished filling out the paper work on the mission. It had been a success, but was close to a disaster. Neji Hyuuga and Chouji Akimichi almost died, and would be out of action for a while. Kiba was not as bad, but Akamaru was hurt bad, so the two would be down for a while too. But it was Naruto that had her worried. She had checked him over, and found that if it wasn't for the Kyuubi, he never would have survived the Chidori shoved into him by Sasuke. He would probably be out of action for a week or two, unless Kyuubi healed him even more than usual. As for the Uchiha, he was fine, other than damage from a severe beating, and having his head smashed into a rock. She sighed, as she sat back. She knew there would be a multitude of problems because of this mission, but she was just happy that Naruto had come back in one piece.

In Rice Country, in Otogakure no Sato, in Orochimaru's private chamber, the Snake Sannin was beyond anger.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY FAILED!"

Kabuto Yakushi quailed in front of his masters fury. "They were tracked down by a team from Konoha. It seems they were all genin, led by one chuunin."

"Are you telling me... that my prized Sound Five... were beaten... BY MERE CHILDREN!"

"One of them was Naruto Uzumaki, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru snarled in anger. "Contact our ally in Konoha. Tell him that no matter what it takes, Naruto Uzumaki must be driven from Konoha, and left on the outside, for me to deal with. Tell him I will help him achieve his dream, if he does this."

Kabuto bowed. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto quickly left, and headed to find one of the operatives who could sneak into Konoha. Orochimaru snarled in anger as he beat the fist of his new body on the arm rest of his throne.

_I will have the Uchiha's body, no matter what!_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_Next Day_

Hinata made her way slowly through the halls of the hospital, until she came to the door she had wanted. Slowly steeling herself, she opened it, but stopped at what she saw. Naruto was covered in bandages, with only his eyes, mouth, and hair visible. He was still unconscious, but was breathing easily. Hinata's eyes watered, and she brushed away the tears in them. Slowly, she approached the bed, and placed the simple vase with one yellow flower in it on the bedside table. She sat in a seat next to the bed.

"N-Naruto-kun. I'm glad you're okay." She said softly, before breaking down into tears.

Elsewhere, Sakura was angry. She had just seen Sasuke, who had bandages over his nose and covering the top of his head. He was still unconscious. Sakura stormed up towards Naruto's room.

_He promised to bring him back, but he didn't need to beat him up like that, did he? Of course not!_

Sakura reached the room, and opened the door, only to stop as she saw Naruto. She hadn't realized that he had been hurt so badly, that he had needed to be almost completely bandaged. She turned to see Hinata sniffling and looking at her.

"Sakura... w-what are y-you d-doing here?"

Sakura immediately felt guilty, and slowly came in, closing the door. What neither girl realized was that Naruto was actually in a state of unconscious awareness. In his mindscape, he was awake, and aware that there were two people in his room. He could tell from the stuttering that one was Hinata.

_What a weird girl. I wonder what she's doing here._ But he had been happy to hear Sakura-chan was here also.

Sakura slowly came over. "I... I just saw Sasuke-kun. I wanted to come... come check on Naruto."

Naruto's mindscape self fell from joy to depression. _Of curse. She went to see the teme first._

Hinata looked up at the pink haired girl. "Wh-why Sasuke first? D-didn't you w-want to t-thank Naruto-kun f-for b-bringing him back?"

Sakura glanced guiltily at Hinata. "Well... I... I didn't know Naruto was hurt this bad. I saw Sasuke was hurt real bad, so I... I wanted to make sure he was okay."

Naruto's mindscape self slowly sat on the floor, completely depressed. _So I was right. When I saw her at the gate, before we left. She really does care about the teme, and not me. I guess I just need to back off._

Hinata felt a small flare of anger towards Sakura. "I-I would think you would want to check on Naruto-kun, since he was your loyal friend and teammate." Her anger caused her to forget her shyness, and her stutter disappeared.

Sakura flinched under Hinata's words and stare. "Well, I-."

"Sakura, I don't know what you see in Sasuke. He's spoiled, he's self centered, he's cold to everyone, he betrayed the Village, and he almost killed one of your teammates. Don't you have any decency?"

Sakura broke down at this, and started to cry. "I'm sorry! I didn't know! I don't know anything anymore!" She slumped to the ground, crying.

Naruto, listening to everything, was quite shocked. _I've never heard hinata talk or act like that before. What got into her?_

Hinata slowly walked over, and kneeled next to Sakura. "S-sakura, you need to r-remember that you h-have two teammates, not just one. You s-should care about h-how both of t-them feel."

Sakura looked up at hinata, and nodded. She smiled as she wiped a tear away. "You r-really care for Naruto, don't you?"

Hinata blushed, but she nodded. "Y-yes. I do r-really care for him. I-I just wish I-I could tell him."

In his mind, Naruto's head snapped to attention at these words. _What? Di-did she just say that she cared for me?_

Naruto stood up, and began to walk down the corridors of his memories. Here and there, he would stop, and examine memories involving Hinata.

_She would always become so quiet, and shy around me. She would go all red, but what if it wasn't a fever? And during the prelims, she gave me that medicine. And later, she helped me when I felt all nervous about fighting Neji. Does this mean-_

"**Of course it does, you dumb mortal! The Hyuuga girl likes you!**"

Naruto found himself in front of the cage of Kyuubi, who glared down at him. The kitsune's lips furled in a sneer.

"**She's had a crush on you since the first day of the Academy. I may not have been awake, but I've seen your memories.**"

Naruto stood there in shock, and slowly sat down. _All this time? All this time, and she's cared for me. Why? Nobody does, except for Iruka, the old man, Teuchi, and Ayame._

"**Well, she does too. Kami, you are so dense!**" With that, the fox, closed it's eyes, and Naruto suddenly felt himself in his body. He slowly cracked open an eye, and saw Hinata and Sakura talking quietly. Naruto looked Hinata over, as things began to make sense now.

_She is cute. Not physically cute, like Ino and Sakura. She's... it's like an aura around her. But she is also physically cute. Maybe... maybe I should try and get closer to her? Maybe... maybe she is what I've been missing in my life?_

Naruto tried to speak, but all that came out was a croak. But it caught both girls attention, and they turned towards him. He cleared his throat and smiled at them.

"Hey... anyone want to get me some water?"

Hinata went red, and started to push her index fingers together, while Sakura just smiled. She got Naruto a glass of water, and helped him drink it. When Naruto smiled at Sakura in thanks, Hinata felt her heart drop.

_He likes her still. And because she will be nicer to him, I've pushed myself further away. Maybe I should give up._

Naruto saw the sad look in Hinata's eyes, as she turned to towards the door.

"Hinata, where are you going?"

She gasped, and turned around, her face glowing. "I... I was... w-well I..." Her fingers were pushing together so fast, they could break at any moment.

Naruto smiled encouragingly at her, trying to calm her down. It worked somewhat, as her fingers slowed down, and her face dropped a few shades. Naruto decided then that maybe it would be worth a shot to becoming closer to Hinata. She at least wouldn't hit him.

"Well, I was wondering if maybe after I get out of the hospital, would you like to have some ramen with me?"

Hinata just completely froze, as she heard those words. She couldn't believe it. Naruto, the boy she had been secretly crushing on for five years, just asked her to eat with him. She felt the darkness closing in on her, but she managed a faint "yes", before falling over.

Sakura rushed over, and managed to catch her, and placed in one of the extra beds, before turning to Naruto in shock.

"Naruto... did you just ask her out to ramen?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Why didn't you ask me?"

Naruto slowly turned his face away. "Because you have your 'Sasuke-kun' back, and I know you don't really like me."

Sakura felt the tears well up, and came over to Naruto. "Naruto, I... it's true I don't see you as a boyfriend or something. But that doesn't mean you can't be my friend. I've been a bad teammate, and I want to make it up to you."

Naruto looked at her, and smiled. "Okay. I'll take that. Maybe we can train together, along with some of the others."

Sakura nodded. "Okay. Um... can I get you anything?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. But you may want to stick around for when she wakes up. I doubt she'll believe that wasn't a dream, unless you tell her."

Sakura nodded. "Sure. But you be nice with her, understand?"

Naruto nodded. "Right. But right now, I think I need to sleep." He slowly closed his eyes, letting his body rest. A smile lit up his face.

Sakura smiled at the sight of her sleeping comrade, before taking Hinata's chair, and waiting for the Hyuuga heiress to awaken.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_That afternoon_

Tsunade didn't know why this Council meeting had been called, since she hadn't called it. But ever since the Yondaime died, and her old sensei, Sarutobi, retook his job as the Sandaime, the Council had gained more bower, until they believed they controlled Konoha. Or at least, the civilian half did.

Danzou slowly stood up. The crippled war hawk took a look around with his one eye, before speaking.

"Fellow Council members, as you know, Sasuke Uchiha, last if that illustrious clan, recently attempted to leave Konoha, and join Orochimaru. It has come to my attention, that the reason why was because he was seeking power to defeat his older brother, Itachi Uchiha, who slaughtered the Uchiha clan."

Many of the Council began to murmur to themselves. Danzou continued. "He was stopped from leaving, and returned her. However, he was injured more so than was necessary to bring him back. And the person who caused these injuries? None other than Naruto Uzumaki."

At the mention of Naruto's name, many of the civilian Council members hissed in anger and disgust. One even muttered a word that suspiciously sounded like "demon". The ninja Council members, which consisted of the major clan heads, and the Village Elders, merely looked at each other. Tsunade sighed.

"Is there a point to all this, Danzou?"

"There is. Naruto Uzumaki has threatened, and used excessive force against the future of Konoha. Under normal circumstances, this would automatically call for his execution."

Tsunade sat up right, as the clan heads began to talk to each other. None of them really had a problem with Naruto. Some had even enjoyed his pranks. But the civilian members cheered, and some even began yelling for the execution. Danzou held up his good hand.

"However, his actions in bringing the uchiha back earn him consideration. That is why I say the boy should be banished from Konoha."

Immediately, the Council divided in two. The civilian members applauded and cheered, while the clan heads roared out in protest. Tsunade stood to her feet. "And what of the excessive force used against Naruto?! He had a Chidori shoved into him! As far as I can tell, Naruto did nothing more than beat Sasuke enough to bring him back alive and uncrippled, while Sasuke Uchiha tried to kill him!"

"It's too bad he didn't! That boy should have never been allowed to live!" More cheers and roars followed this statement. Before anyone could protest further, Danzou shouted. "I call the vote! All those in favor?"

The entire civilian part of the Council, along with Danzou, raised their hands. He smirked, knowing he had all ready won. "All those opposed?"

Hiashi Hyuuga, Shibi Aburame, Tsume Inuzuka, Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara, Chouza Akimichi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane raised their hands. Tsundae, being Hokage, couldn't vote, but merely try to influence the Council to see her view. She shook in rage, as Danzou smugly looked around. "In a eight to ten vote, the punishment is decided. Three days after he has recovered enough to be dismissed from the hospital, Naruto Uzumaki will be banished from Konoha, and the surrounding five mile area."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_The night of the next day_

Naruto lay in bed, reading a manga that Sakura had gotten for him. Outside, the light of the Village blotted out the stars in the night sky. He smiled happily, as he remembered his upcoming "friend date" with Hinata.

When Hinata had regained consciousness, and been assured that Naruto asking her to lunch with him wasn't a dream, she had smiled, and thanked Naruto for his invitation. Then she had left, a happy smile on her face. Naruto was glad he had made her so happy.

_Who knows? Maybe I've been going after the wrong girl this whole time. Hinata feels more like a person I would want to be around._

He flipped a page, reading the next section, when there is a knocking on his door. When he tells them to enter, Jiraiya stumbled in. Naruto looked at him, wondering what the old pervert wanted.

"Hey Ero-sennin? What is it?" Then he noticed the look on the old mans face. It was one of pure despair. Naruto felt something drop in his stomach.

"Jiraiya? What is it?" The Toad sannin turned to Naruto.

"Kid... I don't know how to tell you this. I still can't believe it myself."

"What? What is it?"

Jiraiya sighed, and sat down. He stared at Naruto for several minutes, then sighed.

"The Council had a meeting today. They were talking about you."

"Yeah, so? They do that all the time."

"Not like this. Danzou, one of the older members, charged you with excessive force in returning Sasuke Uchiha. He called a vote, to have you banished."

Naruto just sat there, staring at Jiraiya. "W-what?"

"Yeah. The civilian's, because they all hate you, voted with him. None of the other ninja's did though. It was close, but Danzou had you banished the minute he called for it. I'm so sorry kid."

Naruto just sat there, unable to do anything but let tears roll down his face. Jiraiya slowly reached out, and hugged Naruto.

_Minato, I'm so sorry. I couldn't save your son. I'm his freaking godfather, and I let him down._

Naruto just sat there in Jiraiya's embrace, as the tears continued to fall down his face.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In the Land of Earth, out in the middle of a barren plain, a strange occurrence began. A dark mass of energy slowly began to form, spinning, and crackling with lightning bolts. Suddenly a gloved fist emerged from the mass, and a tall, heavily muscular man fell out. He slowly stood to his feet, yelling to the sky above.

"FREE! I AM FREE!" He laughed maniacally, as a strange glow emanated from his right hand. Three golden triangles forming one large one.

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**LR: Well, I bet a lot of you will be sending me I hate the Council reviews. Personally, I'm expecting them. Oh, by the way, in case you all are wondering why I'm changing how the Council is set up with my fanfics, it's to help move the plot along. I couldn't have a vote to banish Naruto without making almost every clan head look bad, and I didn't feel like it. Also, I know Tsunade should have had a vote, but even with it, there would have been no differance. It just would have been 9 to 10, instead of 8 to 10.**

**RS: Wow. Naruto has it rough.**

**Arashen: Yeah.**

**LR: Don't worry. Naruto will be all right. How could I say I was Naruto fan, if Naruto wasn't all right? Also, Naruto will still have his lunch date with Hinata. It's actually to help solidify a friendship between them, and lead to more later. So don't worry.**

**P.S. You know what? I have no life, and I'm going to stop telling people I'll be done in a few days, only to end up updating the next one. From now on, I'll update when I update.**

**Allan Pike, I need you to get me that info on your OC quick.**


	2. A True Friend

**Hey y'all. I'm really surprised at how many of you are responding to my story so fast. Anyways, I've come to a conclusion on the NaruHinaFemKyu thing. It's not going to happen in this fic. It seems most of you hate the idea, so instead, FemKyu, when the time comes, will take the role of adoptive mom or sister. This story will remain NaruHina.**

**RS: Well, I can't blame them. Threesome love, that aint right.**

**LR: Well, I guess so. Honestly, I don't think I would mind, as long as all three of us loved each other truly. But I'm a monogamy type of guy. So it will remain NaruHina.**

**Arashen: Oh, this is to all of you Arashen fans. Sorry, but I'm not popping back up here. The OC for this story is by Allan Pike.**

**LR: Which reminds me. ALLAN! I need that info I asked for! If I don't get it, we might have a problem!**

**RS: You Know, that is annoying.**

**LR: I just want to do this right. I don't want to screw up his OC he gave me. **

**Arashen: Forget about it. Just concentrate on the fic.**

**LR: Right. Well, after the mess Raging Star made, we bought a new popcorn maker. So, let's get this going.**

**RS: Wait! I forgot the soda! (Runs off)**

**Several minutes later... BOOOM!**

**LR: How did she blow something up now!**

**Arashen and LR run off.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Legend of Zelda. Otherwise, I would be rolling in the dough, and Link and Midna would have hooked up in Twilight Princess, since she obviously fell in love with him. Same with Naruto and Hinata.

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**Chapter 2**

**A True Friend**

Naruto numbly pulled his orange jacket on, and zipped it up. He didn't even bother tying his headband on. He merely put it in his pocket, before gathering the few personal items in his hospital room.

Eventually, word of his banishment had leaked out. Almost every one of his friends had come to see him afterwards, except those who were hospitalized, and Hinata. All of them were shocked, and tried to comfort him. Some had brought him gifts. He had accepted them, but had barely talked to any of them. Eventually, they had left him be.

Now, seven days after defeating Sasuke, Naruto was well enough to be discharged. He slowly left his hospital room, and walked down the halls. When he reached the lobby, he was surprised to find several doctors and nurses waiting. One of them came over, a sad look on his face.

"Naruto, I'm sorry about all this. We want you to know that we are outraged at what happened, and even more so that most of the staff is glad to see you gone. Please, we want you to have this."

The doctor gave him a storage scroll with the kanji for health on it.

"It's filled with things you need to heal your injuries, and other such things. I hope it will help you."

Naruto looked at it, then looked up, a faint and weak smile on his lips. "Thanks. This means a lot to me." He hugged the doctor, and the others as well. He smiled at each of them. "I'll talk to baa-chan about all of you. Maybe she can help you guys get this place in order." Then with a sad wave, he left the hospital.

He slowly walked through the streets of Konoha on the way to his apartment. He barely even noticed the glares he received, except now they were mixed with looks of triumph. The citizens of Konoha were glad someone had finally gotten rid of the demon. A few even taunted Naruto as he past.

"All hail the future Hokage!"

"Serve's you right!"

Suddenly, a rock sailed out of no where, and struck one of the citizens in the back of the head, knocking him out. The others looked around, but weren't able to see anyone. Suddenly, Anko Mitarashi landed in the middle of them.

"Boo!" With a yell, they all ran, scared of the Snake Mistress of Konoha. The purple haired interrogation jounin laughed, before joining Naruto. She was wearing her brown skirt, jacket, fish net shirt, and shin guards. She threw one arm around Naruto.

"Ahh, cheer up gaki. Look at it this way. At least you don't have to put up with anymore crap from the villagers." She smiled at Naruto, only to somber up at the depressed look he gave her. She sighed as she walked with him. After the chuunin exams, she started to warm up to the annoying blond, who was like her in the fact both were hated for something they had no control in. He for Kyuubi, she for being Orochimaru's apprentice.

"Naruto, I don't honestly know what to tell you. All I know is that you can't give into dispair, or you won't last five minutes out there. C'mon, cheer up a little."

Naruto sighed. "I just can't believe it. After everything I've done to help this village, they still only see Kyuubi."

Anko nodded. "It's the curse you and I will always live with. Tell you what. If it will make you feel better, I'll torture some of these villagers for ya."

Naruto shook his head, but a smile was on his lips. Anko grinned herself. "There we go. Now, what are you going to do? Three days not having a care in the world would be heaven to me."

Naruto sighed. "I'm going to hang out with my friends, whenever I can. I'm also going to make sure I have everything I need to survive out there."

Anko nodded. "I actually have something for ya. Here, I thought you might like this." She handed him a scroll, which he opened.

"It's a few jutsu's to back up your clones and Rasengan. Nothing serious, but they'll do in a pinch."

Naruto smiled, and suddenly hugged Anko, who was surprised, but let him. "Thanks a bunch. You know, it's nice to know there will be another hyperactive person to give the villagers trouble."

"Count on it. Now get off me gaki! I have a reputation to keep!"

Naruto nodded, and let go. He smiled at her again. "Thanks Anko-sensei. Take care."

As he walked away, Anko's face fell a little. "You too, gaki. You too."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hinata stood outside Naruto's apartment, waiting for him. She glanced around, wondering how life could go on like it was. To her it felt like the world should be shrouded in perpetual depression. It was quite a contrast to how she had been feeling the day after Naruto had asked her to lunch.

_**Flashback**_

_Hinata smiled happily, as she hummed a tune to herself. She had just woken up from a happy sleep, where she had dreamed of and Naruto going on dates, and then him kissing her and telling her he loved her. She couldn't wait for him to leave the hospital, because then they could meet at Ichiraku, and have ramen together. _

_She passed by Hanabi's room, just as the door opened. Hanabi was quite surprised when she suddenly hugged her.._

"_Morning, nee-chan. It is a wonderful day, isn't it?"_

_Hanabi watched as she went on her way, humming and almost skipping. She silently wondered what had her so happy, before following her to the kitchen._

_Just as she was passing her father's study, his voice called out to her._

"_Hinata? Will you come in here please?"_

_Hinata immediately sobered, and a small flicker of fear entered her. _Does he know?_ she wondered, before entering. She bowed to him._

"_You called for me, otou-san?"_

_Hiashi Hyuuga looked at his daughter sadly. He knew he had treated her rough, but it had been to toughen her up. Now, he felt horrible, especially with what he was about to tell her._

"_Hinata, is it true what I have heard? That you have feelings for one Naruto Uzumaki?"_

_Hinata's eyes widened. "W-well, y-yes otou-san. I-I do like Naruto-k, I mean Naruto."_

_Hiashi sighed. "I wish that was not so. There was a council meeting about him yesterday. I'm afraid the worse has happened. He was banished for 'assaulting' Sasuke Uchiha."_

_Hinata's eyes didn't betray anything. She just stood there. "I-I see. T-thank you for telling me." Slowly, she bowed, and left the room. Almost as soon as the door closed, he heard her burst into tears, and the sound of her feet as she ran back to her room. Hiashi slowly gripped his desk, tears of his own running down his face._

_**Flashback Ends**_

Hinata hadn't left her room since then. The shock of what she had learned had put her into a conscious coma. It wasn't until Sakura had reminded her of her lunch date, that she had "awakened", and gotten ready. Now, she was waiting for her crush.

_Why? Why do they hate him so much? He's a hero, for bringing Sasuke back, and stopping Gaara during the invasion._

Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps coming her way. She turned to see Naruto come around the corner, his head down in a scroll. He looked up, and immediately pain was readable as he saw her. He came over, storing the scroll away.

"Hinata, what are you doing here?"

"W-well, w-we were going t-to have lunch. But I-I can understand i-if you changed y-your mind."

Naruto immediately shook his head. "No. I want to. I've just had a lot on my mind."

As he was unlocking his door, Hinata nodded. "I know. M-my father told me."

Naruto stiffened, then his shoulders fell. "Y-yeah. I guess he would tell you that."

"H-he was really upset. H-he's always supported y-you, especially a-after you h-helped Neji ni-san."

Naruto smiled. "That's good." He opened his apartment, only to stop. The room had been trashed. His bed was shredded, his refrigerator was destroyed, and someone had strewn all his belongings everywhere. He slowly walked on spilled ramen cups, and broken kunai. Hinata gasped in horror, as she saw someone had painted "DEMON SCUM" along one wall.

"N-naruto-kun?"

"Well, at least they left my clothes alone this time." He said, as he pulled them out of his closet and drawers. He packed them away, along with a few other items. Then he lifted a floorboard, pulled out several scrolls, and packed them away too. He turned to Hinata.

"I wasn't planning on staying here anyways. Old baa-chan wanted me near her till I had to leave. C'mon, I'll take you to get ramen now."

He slung the pack on his back, and gently took her hand. If it wasn't for what she had seen in his apartment, she would have fainted. As it was, she blushed deeply as he led her to his favorite eating place, leaving his apartment forever.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Teuchi and Ayame greeted their favorite customer, but a sadness tinged the greeting.

"I guess you both have heard too?"

Ayame nodded. "It's all over the village now. Dad actually booted several customers out because they were going on about how you had finally been taken care of."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah. Sorry I won't be around to keep you guys going."

Teuchi smiled as he placed a bowl of Miso ramen in front of him, and his new low fat ramen in front of Hinata. "It's all right. Who knows? Maybe we'll just leave with you."

Naruto shook his head. "It would be bad for your business. Besides, I'll probably have people after me out there. I don't want you to get hurt."

Teuchi nodded. Hinata and Naruto slowly began to eat, and talk. Slowly, Hinata felt herself opening up around Naruto. Now that he was paying attention to her, she felt her confidence rise. She just wished they could have done it sooner. Eventually, she couldn't stop from asking Naruto a question that had been bothering her.

"N-naruto-kun? W-why does everyone treat you so badly? Why did they t-trash your apartment, and w-write that horrible stuff on y-your wall?"

Naruto, Teuchi, and Ayame all stiffened. Naruto sighed, and placed his chopsticks on the counter. "In a way, I'm glad you asked. This is something you deserve to know, because you seem to care for me so much."

He slowly turned towards her. "Do you remember what we learned about the Yondaime? And the Kyuubi?"

Hinata nodded. "The Y-Yondaime fought the K-kyuubi thirteen years a-ago. H-he died k-killing the d-demon."

Naruto shook his head. "It was all a lie. The Kyuubi was too powerful to kill. Instead, the Yondaime sealed him, in the body of a newborn. The only new baby born on October 10."

Hinata gasped, her eye's widening. Teuchi gripped his ladle, and Ayame looked between Naruto and Hinata. Naruto turned away from Hinata.

"That's why so many people hate me. That is why they tore apart my apartment. That is why they call me 'demon scum'. Because the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi in me."

He slowly shuddered, as tears began to fall down his face. "I... I understand if you want to run. I wouldn't blame you."

He heard her get off her stool, and expected to hear her running footsteps. Instead, he felt a pair of arms encircle him. He stiffened in surprise, as he felt Hinata hug him.

"N-naruto-kun... why would I-I run f-from a h-hero like y-you?"

Naruto slowly looked over his shoulder, as Hinata pulled back. She smiled, as she wiped away tears. Naruto just stared at her. "Y-you aren't scared?"

Hinata shook her head. "W-why? K-kyuubi is s-sealed in y-you. Y-you a-aren't Kyuubi."

Naruto just stared at her, then hugged her, his tears falling onto her shoulder. She "eeped" in surprise, but then hugged him back. He held her tightly, in a friendly way.

"I... I never thought I could tell anyone. I was afraid to lose my friends if I did. Hinata, thank you. You are a real good friend."

Hinata sighed internally as she heard this. _I ... I want to be more. But he seems to care for me, and is starting to see me. Maybe... maybe some day, if he comes back, maybe we can be more then. _She leaned her head against Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto just held her for several minutes in that hug. Inside, he was a mass of confusion. _She really cares for me, and she doesn't see me as Kyuubi. She's so... incredible. I... I've never had a friend like this before, but I wish I did. But she likes me as more than a friend. I don't know if I could be that. I... I'm leaving, so I don't want to get her hopes up. But I... I want her to be happy, and I really am feeling for her now._

Slowly, they pulled apart, and Naruto just smiled, as he wiped away his tears.

"Hinata-chan, can you promise me something?"

Hinata blushed at the added suffix. "W-what, Naruto-kun?"

"Promise me that you won't tell anyone, unless you know you can trust them. Please?"

Hinata nodded. "I promise."

Naruto smiled, a real genuine smile. "Thank you. You really are a true friend." He truned back to his food, and started to eat. Hinata smiled at the return of his good humor. She slowly turned back to her food.

_I wish I could just leave with him. But they would send hunter ninja's after us, and would probably kill him. I guess I'll stay here, and wait. I know Naruto-kun will come back._ Her resolved stronger, she went back to eating.

After they were both one, they went and walked around the park, and other areas, talking about anything. Naruto felt so free now, being able to talk to Hinata about anything, including Kyuubi. He never felt this way with anyone before, even with the old man, or Jiraiya.

_With them, I had to be careful, in case they thought I was a threat. But with Hinata-chan, I can be free. _He smiled, as they strolled along.

As the hour grew late, Naruto escorted Hinata back to the Hyuuga estate. He stopped a distance away, afraid some Hyuuga guard might attack him. He slowly turned to Hinata.

"I had a really great time with you. More than I've ever had before. Thank you."

Hinata smiled under a blush. "N-no problem, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled, and hugged her close. "I hope to see you again, before I leave."

Hinata nodded. "Me too. M-maybe another lunch d-date?"

Naruto smiled. "I'd like that. See you around." He turned, and leapt away. Hinata smiled as he left.

_It was just like I thought. He is really wonderful._ Slowly, she walked back home, her heart a mixture of happiness and sadness.

Naruto slipped into the Hokage Tower, and into the inner living quarters. Tsunade and Shizune were in the living room/entertainment room, for meeting with friends and foreign dignitaries. Tsunade looked up at Naruto.

"Any problems?"

"Besides my apartment being trashed? Nope. I had a great time today. I just wished I could have more of them." He headed off to the guest room Tsunade had given him. The blond sannin turned to Shizune.

"I want two ANBU watching his room. Ones we can trust. Send two more to the apartment landlord to find out how his apartment was trashed without him hearing anything."

Shizune nodded, and headed off. Tsunade sighed. It had been torture the past few days. Naruto, despite the short time he had been in her life, was such a light in her life. Now, that light was going to be gone. She punched the table in front of the couch she was on, smashing it in two.

_I swear, if I ever run into Danzou by himself in a dark alleyway, there won't be enough left to fill a teaspoon with._

With that thought, she headed to her room, to try and sleep.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The next two days, Naruto did his best to remain upbeat. He visited his friends in the hospital, often accompanied by Hinata. Neji, Chouji, and Kiba, once they were awake, also voiced their surprise and outrage at his banishment. Naruto smiled, thanking each of them. He had also bought new kunai and shuriken, along with somewhat more drab colored civilian clothes. Hinata had helped him with that one, as most of the shopkeepers refused service to him on sight. He had also hung out with Gaara, who had asked Naruto if he wanted him to slaughter the civilian council members, and say that it was an accident.

_**Flashback**_

"_No, Gaara. That would just lead to a war between Suna and Konoha. I couldn't have you risk that."_

"_Hmmm. Maybe you could join Suna? We could use another ninja of your skills."_

_Naruto smiled as he shook his head. "I'm grateful, but no. These Akatsuki guys are after me, and you. If both of us are in one place, they would just send more of their guys after us. Besides, I want to travel around for a bit, see some sights."_

_The red haired jinchuuriki nodded. "If you ever need someplace to stay, my families door is always open."_

_Naruto smiled, and shook Gaara's hand. "Thanks. Maybe I'll take you up on that offer."_

_**Flashback Ends**_

Now, it was the morning of the day. Naruto and Tsunade left the Hokage's Tower, with an escort of four ANBU. They made their way through the streets of Konoha. Many people came out to watch, and most had looks of triumph on their faces. But a few were truly sad. They bowed their heads as Naruto passed, and a few silently prayed to Kami for forgiveness of this tragedy.

At the gate, Naruto was surprised to see all of his friends, and the sensei's waiting for him. Also, there was the Konohamaru Corps, Anko, Iruka, Teuchi, and Ayame. Naruto smiled at all of them.

"You all came to see me off?"

Shikamaru nodded. "It was troublesome, but you deserve it."

Naruto shook his hand. "Thanks."

He and Chouji, who was still supported by Asuma, hugged. He hugged both Kiba and Lee, then shook hands with Neji. Tenten and Ino both hugged him, then he came to Sakura.

"I'm really sorry about this. Maybe it would have been better if Sasuke had gotten away."

Naruto shook his head. "At least I kept my promise. Can you do one thing for me?"

"What?"

"Give Sasuke hell for me. Please?"

Sakura laughed, as she playfully punched Naruto. Then she hugged him as she began to cry. "I'll actually miss you."

"We'll run into each other someday. Believe it."

He hugged the entire Konohamaru corps, shook hands with Kakashi and Asuma, hugged Kurenai, who gently stroked his hair. Gai pulled him into a bone crunching hug, before releasing him to Iruka, who gave hima much more gentle hug. Anko punched him in the shoulder, and he just smiled. He hugged Ayame, who kissed him on the forehead, and Teuchi, who promised to one day find Naruto, and give him as much free ramen as he wanted. Finally, Naruto came to Hinata.

They looked at each other for several minutes. Finally, Naruto pulled her to him in a hug.

"I think I'll miss you most of all." He whispered as he began to cry.

"Me too, Naruto-kun."

"Hinata-chan, can you promise me two more things?"

"What?"

"Promise me you will become strong. Promise me you'll be the strongest kunoichi ever."

"I will. I'll be strong, so I can be Clan head, and vote to have you brought back."

Naruto nodded. "Hinata, this is hard, but... I know you care for me. I know you like me, and maybe even more than that. But if you find yourself beginning to like some one else, promise me you will move on. Promise me that you'll will live a life of happiness."

Hinata fought back tears. "I... I don't know if I can Naruto-kun. I... I will wait for you. If it will make you happy, then I will try. But... I think I could only really be happy with you."

Naruto smiled, even as he cried. "That means a lot. Hinata-chan... I wish I had known sooner. I wish I hadn't been so dense, that I never noticed you. I'll never forget you."

Hinata nodded, then suddenly grabbed him and kissed him. Almost as quickly, she let go, blushing. Naruto stood there, then blushed, but with a smile on his face. He pulled out his headband, and handed it to her. She took it, and nodded, before stepping back. The smile on Naruto's face faded as he turned to the gate. He stood there for several seconds, as Tsunade came over to him.

"Jiraiya is waiting at the five mile mark. He can't keep you company, but he has some things he wanted to give you."

Naruto nodded, before hugging her. "I'm going to miss you baa-chan."

"I'll miss you too. It's going to be quiet around here without you."

Naruto just stood there, then pulled away. He nodded to everyone, before turning back to the gate. With slow foosteps, he slowly exited Konoha, never to return.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

As all this was happening, Sasuke Uchiha was finally regaining consciousness. He slowly looked around at where he was, and recognized it as the Konoha hospital. At that moment, a nurse walked in.

"Uchiha-san! You're awake."

Sasuke just stared at the nurse, and said one thing.

"Where is Naruto Uzumaki?"

* * *

**LR: Well, I hope I did what I intended to do. This chapter was to solidify Naruto and Hinata's friendship, and begin the journey towards something more. **

**Arashen: The Council just better be gald I'm not in this fic. I would kill all the civilians in their sleep.**

**RS: I'd just take over Naruto's job as prankster, and target them.**

**LR: Me, I would level half of konoha, and spare only those who truly cared about Naruto. Then, I would train naruto to be the Uzukage, and help him rebuild Uzu.**

**Unknown person: Well I'm going to train him to become a better shinobi!**

**All of them: Who are you?**

**Who is this person who just entered the host section? Why is Sasuke wanting to know where Naruto is? Find out next chapter. **


	3. Heritage and Relative

**Right. Man, Columbus Day was tiring. My family took me and my sis to see the Stonewall Jackson shrine, and then to the Spotsylvania** **Battle Field, and then to go see where Stonewall Jackson's arm was buried. Seriously! His chaplain and friend took his arm after it was amputated off, and gave it a burial at his brothers house. It was cool, but I got kinda sunburned, and I was dead tired. **

**RS: BORING! I can't believe they wanted to take pictures of us and stuff.**

**LR: There parents, what do you expect?**

**Unknown person: So true.**

**Arashen: You again. Who are you?**

**Unknown person: What? Oh right. Well, I'm-**

**LR: Not yet. You're a surprise. For now, he's a guest.**

**Arashen: Right. Well, we have popcorn, soda, and any other snacks we need. No need to run off now, right?**

**RS: (nods, then grimaces) I do have to do one thing though.**

**Runs off. Several minutes later, explosion in the bathroom**

**LR: Oh for the love of all that is pure and good!**

**Arashen and Leaf Ranger to the rescue.** **U.P takes some** **popcorn and a soda, and sit's back.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Zelda, or the OC. I don't even own this OC! All credit goes to Allan Pike. He's on fanfiction, and has a couple good stories. He just needs to update them.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Heritage and Relative**

Naruto slowly made his way along the road. Looking back, he could barely see what had once been his home. Sighing deeply, he turned back to the road ahead. Suddenly, the ever annoying voice in his head started up again.

"**I don't see why you are so upset. The place was a dump anyways.**"

"Shut up. I don't even want to talk with you."

"**Hey, we're going to be spending plenty of time together. You might as well get used to talking to me!**"

Naruto's anger flared. "And who's fault is that? It's yours! If you hadn't attacked Konoha, you wouldn't have been sealed in me! My life has been one problem after another, all because of you! So just shut up, because I wouldn't rather commit suicide then consider even having a decent conversation with you!"

With that, he closed his mind down to the angry growls emanating from the fox demon. He sighed as he looked ahead. He was almost at the five mile border mark. Once past it, he could never set foot with in those five miles again. He sighed, as he thought back to all his friends. Slowly, they passed through his mind, until he came to Hinata. He still felt the kiss on his lips, and slowly wished that he could experience it more.

_She was so perfect. She was everything I ever wanted. And I blew it all on Sakura. Man, I really am a baka!_ Naruto continued to berate himself, as he passed over the invisible boundary, and by the Toad Sannin.

"Naruto!" The blond boy turned to see Jiraiya joining him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just thinking how stupid I was. Hinata-chan was so great, and I could have had her in my life sooner."

"So, you pretty serious about her, huh?"

Naruto blushed. "I don't know. She seemed so perfect, and I really liked being with her. I'm not saying I do love her, but I think given enough time, I might have."

Jiraiya sighed, and ruffled Naruto's hair. "There's nothing to do now, but hope everything turns out okay. Now listen. Unfortunately, since you are not even a ninja of Konoha, I can't actually train you, as it would be seen as treason by the Council, and they would have me locked away, or killed. But... I can give you these."

Jiraiya reached into his grey jacket, and pulled out two scrolls. He handed both to Naruto. "This first scroll is the one you need to read first, when you are somewhere safe. It... it explains a few things. This other one contains several jutsus, and other items that would have become yours, when you were sixteen. Now, they aren't safe in Konoha."

Naruto took the scrolls. Jiraiya reached into his jacket again, and pulled out a headband. The black cloth was somewhat faded, but the metal was polished. Jiraiya handed it to him.

"This was your mother's. She would have wanted you to have it."

Naruto slowly took the headband. On it was an emblem of eight lines forming a swirl, almost like a pinwheel. Naruto gently traced the design.

"What... what village is this?"

"Uzugakure no Sato. They were famous for their kenjutsu, as well as water jutsu's. Unfortunately, they were small, and during the last war, Iwa over ran them. Your mother was a jounin, who met your father when he came to her village. They feel in love, and she left to join Konoha. After Uzu fell, she became vicious to any Iwa shinobi she found. But then she became pregnant with you, and was pulled from active duty. She died giving birth to you."

Naruto slowly gripped the headband tighter. Then he looked up at Jiraiya. "Then you knew my father?"

The white haired sage turned away. "I did. He was a brave man, who died during Kyuubi's attack. It's all in the scroll there. Naruto... no matter what, know that your parents loved you, and only wanted the best for you."

Then he suddenly grabbed Naruto in a hug, as a few tears fell from his eyes. "You're my godson. I was supposed to protect you, and I failed. I failed miserably."

Naruto slowly pulled himself from Jiraiya's grasp. "It's okay, Ero-sennin. I don't blame you." He smiled, and held out a hand. Jiraiya slowly took it, and they shook.

"I guess I'll see you around some time?"

"Yeah. Oh, I almost forgot! Listen, I managed to arrange for a way for you to keep in contact with Tsunade and the others!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "How?"

"All right. What you do is write a letter, or whatever. Summon Gamakichi, and give him the letter, letters, or whatever your message is. I've set up a special seal, so that when you send him back, he can pop up in Tsunade's office. Of course, it only works if Tsunade is alone in the office. That way, no one will be able to intercept your messages."

Naruto smiled. "This is great! I can keep in contact with everyone!" He hugged Jiraiya. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"

Jiraiya smiled. "It's the least I can do. I hope it makes up for all the times I've failed you."

Naruto just smiled at him. "Forget it. I think we're even."

Jiraiya nodded, before looking back towards the village. "I'm tempted to just leave, and never come back."

Naruto shook his head. "No. Please, I need you to help keep an eye on the others for me. Please?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Fine. I need to get going. I expect to hear from you soon."

"I will!" Naruto yelled as Jiraiya jumped into the trees, and sped away. Slowly, Naruto loooked at the two scrolls, and the headband. He stored the scrolls away, and placed the headband in his pocket, before heading out.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Night began to fall, as Naruto set up camp for the night. He hadn't been able to reach one of the smaller towns yet, so he planned to sleep until the sun had barely risen, then break for the closest town. After obtaining what supplies he needed, he thought he would start asking around to find where Uzu had once stood. He reached int his pack, and pulled out the first scroll Jiraiya had given him. After a moments hesitation, he opened it.

_Dear Naruto_

_There is much I have wanted to tell you, but couldn't because you weren't old enough yet. Now, it seems that doesn't matter now. I know who your parents were, Naruto, and they were great shinobi, who would have loved you, and given you the best home they could._

_Your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, jounin of Uzu, and also known as 'The Read Death", for her silent kills, and red hair. As for your father, I hope you are prepared for this. Your father was perhaps the greatest ninja I have ever had_ _the privilege to know. He was the Yondaime_ _Hokage, the "Yellow Flash", Minato Namikaze. Yes, your father was the one who sealed the Kyuubi in you._

Naruto gripped the scroll tightly, almost ripping it. His father, was the Yondaime? The most famous ninja ever? The one who had consigned him to thirteen years of misery? Naruto couldn't believe it, but forced himself to read on.

_You have to understand, it was the last thing Minato wanted. But he couldn't ask another to do something he wasn't capable of doing himself. He thought Kushina would be alive to care for you, and he had the Council's word that you would be treated as a hero. He gave his life, hoping to make you a hero._

_Naruto, he loved you. If anything, believe that. He was so happy when he heard he was going to have a child, he practically screamed it from the top of Hokage Mountain. He was going to train you to become a greater shinobi than he was. But life never goes how we plan._

_I'm sorry you have to learn it this way. But since your father's wishes weren't carried out, I have given him revenge on Konoha. All the jutsu's he had ever created, all his notes, all his equipment, is with you now. Konoha will never be able to revive the Rasengan, or the Hiraishin, without you. I hope this can begin to heal the wounds you have._

_Someday, I hope to see your father's dream fulfilled. I hope to see you become a greater shinobi than your father. Until then, train hard, and don't give up._

_Jiraiya._

Naruto found himself smiling, and crying, as he read the letter again. He was the son of the yondaime, who had loved him. He knew his family, and they cared for him. They loved him, but life had taken them away. Suddenly, a weight lifted itself from him, as he now knew the truth of his heritage. He smiled, as he looked at the sky.

_I'll make you proud of me. Mom, dad, I'll fulfill your dream. I'll be the best there ever was._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Sasuke Uchiha stood before the Council of Konoha. He had recovered enough from his wounds to be discharged, and when he had been, the ANBU had escorted him to the Hokage's Tower, where the Council were waiting for him.

Tsunade slowly stood to her feet. "Sasuke Uchiha, you have been charged with deserting your village, abandoning your comrades, and even attacking a fellow shinobi of Konoha. How do you plead?"

Sasuke raised his head. "I did all that. So do your worst."

The ninja members looked at each other, shocked, but not all together surprised at his arrogance. Tsunade nodded. "The accused has admitted guilty to the charges. What is his punishment?"

One of the civilian council members stood up. "E, by majority vote, have decided that Sasuke Uchiha's punishment is that he shall not be allowed to leave the village without supervision. Also, he will be watched by ANBU at all times. Since he has freely admitted his guilt, we believe that to be a sign of character, and recommend that he be reinstated as a ninja of Konoha."

There was an uproar as the council members divided along the same lines as before. Finally, Tsunade smashed a hand down on the table, silencing everyone. "Is that so? Well, since this is a ninja matter, you have no say in what Sasuke's future as a shinobi will be. It is up to me if Sasuke will be able to be a shinobi again."

Danzou smirked as he stood up. "My dear Hokage-sama. I'm sure you could see it to let Sasuke become a shinobi again. After all, he may end up in the hands of one who will end up treating him as more of a _weapon_ than a shinobi."

Tsunade caught on to Danzou's hinted threat. If Sasuke wasn't made a ninja, Danzou would take him away, and turn him into a weapon, one that he would control. Tsunade sighed, as she sat back down. "Fine. Sasuke, if you will pledge an oath of loyalty to Konoha, you will be reinstated as a genin. However, you will be placed by yourself, and taught by ninja of my choosing."

Sasuke stood there for several seconds, before speaking. "I'll agree to these terms, on two conditions. I'll remain loyal to Konoha, if I'm taught every jutsu this village can offer me, and if at the end of my training, the banishment of Naruto Uzumaki is lifted."

There was quite a stir amongst the Council. The ninja's looked at each other, with confusion, and hope in their eyes. The civilian, and Danozu, were bewildered, and scared. Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Any reason to your last condition?"

"Naruto some how beat me at the Valley of the End. Even with this curse mark at level two, he beat me. When my training is done, I want to fight him. If I can beat him, especially if he uses his full power, then I know I will be strong enough to complete my goal."

Understanding dawned in everyone's eyes. They looked at each other, speaking in hushed tones. Tsunade looked down at the table, thinking.

_If I agree, Naruto can come back. But if I do, then he'll just come back to be beaten. It's a tough call. Maybe... maybe he will be strong enough to hold his own still._

Danzou had different thoughts. _It doesn't matter. Naruto will be dead before long out there._ "I believe these conditions to be acceptable."

Tsunade sighed, and nodded. "Agreed. Upon completion of Sasuke's training, Naruto Uzumaki's banishment will be lifted."

Danzou smiled, as he turned to the Toad Sannin, who was standing behind Tsunade. "Jiraiya-sama? I believe you might be of some assistance here. I happen to know that you have the jutsu's of the late Yondaime Hokage. He was your student after all. If you would please hand them over to Sasuke, I'm sure he could put them to better use."

Tsunade was about to protest, when Jiraiya placed a hand on her shoulder. He smiled at Danzou. "Unfortunantly, your information is dated. I had them, until today. They have been passed on to one who truly deserves those jutsu's, since his father did create them."

Danzou's smile fell. "What? Minato Namikaze had a son? Who?"

"It doesn't matter, as he is no longer part of the village." At this, everyone began to realize what he meant. One of the civilians shot out of his seat. "You lie! That demon scum couldn't possibly be the Yondaime's son!"

"You know, the last people to say that painted it on his apartment wall. They and the landlord of the apartment complex were arrested, and imprisoned for life. After Anko Mitarashi was done with them." She pulled out a file. "The Sandaime was waiting until Naruto was sixteen to reveal this, but since Naruto was banished, all the rules and laws are null and void. This is the birth certificate, and DNA tests proving Naruto's lineage. Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were his parents."

She smirked at the stunned faces on half the council. "You all just screwed up, big time."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto spent a dreamless sleep, before awakening at dawn. He changed into a pair of Khaki shorts, and a blue shirt he had bought at a civilian store before he had left. After packing up, he shouldered his pack, and continued on his way.

It was mid morning, and the town could be seen in the distance. But Naruto felt that something was wrong. In the woods around him, he felt like someone was watching him. He suddenly turned around, but there wasn't anyone there. Shrugging, he turned back around, only to see two kunai flash out, and strike the ground. Each had a light bobm on them, which exploded in his face. He cried out, shielding his eyes. Suddenly, a fist smashed into his stomach. He was smashed against a tree, and chakra wires held him to it. As the light faded, and his eyes adjusted, Naruto saw two Oto ninja's standing in front of him.

"That was easier than expected. Orochimaru-sama will be pleased."

Naruto started struggling, and cursing. One of the ninja's smacked him upside the head.

"Shut up! You've messed with our master's plans for the last time. Knock him out, and let's get going."

The first ninja approached, only to suddenly get yanked in the air. There was a vine wrapped around one of his legs. He dangled upside down, as two branches from one of the trees reached out, and started smacking him across the face.

The other ninja whirled around, to see a man casually leaning against a tree. He looked like a regular civilian, wearing a pair of dusty jean's, and a green t-shirt. His blue eyes watched the Oto ninja being beaten up, as he ran a hand through his messy brown hair. He smiled as he turned to the other ninja.

"Sorry about your friend there. Want me to put him down?" With a nod, the tree stopped smacking the now heavily bruised ninja, and the vine whipped him around, smashing him into the ground, knocking him out. With a shout, the second ninja threw a kunai at the stranger. He barely moved to one side, catching the kunai. He looked at it for a second, then tossed it over his shoulder.

"Guess you want to play, huh? Then let's play." The man suddenly began focusing his chakra. Suddenly, it seemed like the branches of the trees, and the dirt beneath him converged on the man, covering him. When it receded, the man was now wearing a type of armor. He had on a breastplate, bracers, and greaves (shin guards, like Anko), while the rest of him was covered in chain mail. A shinobi style helmet, with the kanji for "nature" now covered his head. He adopted a fighting style that looked loose and sloppy. The oto ninja smirked.

"That fancy armor isn't going to help you. **Earth style, Earth entrapment!**"

The ground below the stranger began to open, but suddenly, he was gone. The Oto ninja looked around, only to be tapped on the shoulder. He whirled to see the man standing there.

"Miss me?" Then he reared back and punched him, before disappearing again, reappearing to kick the ninja in the stomach.

Naruto watched in amazement. _This guy has to be as fast as Bushy Borws. Even with all that armor he's wearing. But it doesn't look like his hits do much damage._

Indeed, the stranger's hit's seemed fairly weak. The Oto ninja barely seemed phased by the hit's themselves. But the speed of the attacks was alarming. Finally, the ninja managed to finish some handsigns.

"**Earht style, Sonic Quake!**" He slammed his fist's into the ground, and the stranger was caught by it, and crashed into a tree, only to explode into a shower of leaves and dirt. Both the ninja and Naruto looked at it in amazement.

"What was that?"

"That? That was my favorite jutsu. The nature clone." The Oto ninja whirled to see the man standing there, unhurt. Suddenly, there was a burst of chakra to his right arm. A round shield, roughly the size of a wheel, appeared on his arm. He smirked, behind his mask, before channeling more chakra into the shield. A pair of blades grew out of the front of the shield, forming a pair of pincers. The man suddenly disappeared with his speed, only to reappear in front of the Oto ninja. He rammed his shield against the Oto ninja's neck, slamming him into a tree. The blades pierced the tree on either side, trapping the Oto ninja there. The strange warrior leaned closer to his trapped opponent.

"Say good night." A branch of the tree whipped down, and struck the ninja on the head, knocking him out. The warrior nodded at the tree, before retracting the blades, and then the shield. With a poof, his arm dissipated back into the ground and air, returning to it's previous state as dirt and leaves. The stranger turned to Naruto, smiling.

"Hey there! I saw you were in trouble, and thought you could use a hand. Here, let me get those wires for you." He picked up a kunai, and cut the wires, freeing Naruto. Naruto slowly stood up, eyeing the stranger.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Name's Arren Pikku Uzumaki. Nice to meet you." He held out a hand, but Naruto just stared at him in amazement.

"D-did you say... Uzumaki?"

"Uh, yeah I did. That is my last name, after my father."

Naruto suddenly smiled. "My name's Uzumaki too! I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze!"

The man looked startled. "What?!"

"Yeah! My mom was Kushina Uzumaki!"

"That's my aunt! Wait, was?"

Naruto looked down, his happy smile disappearing. "She died, bringing me into this world."

Arren sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that. I wanted to meet her, seeing as she was my only living family."

Naruto looked up at him. "You mean...?"

"You and me? I think we are the only Uzumaki's left. But you said Namikaze. That your dad's name?"

Naruto nodded. "My dad was Minato Namikaze. He died shortly after I was born."

"Wait, your dad was the guy who beat Kyuubi? What did he do with him? He couldn't kill him, so what did he do?"

Naruto became uneasy, and Arren picked up on it. "Oh... he didn't. He sealed Kyuubi in you?"

Naruto nodded, and Arren shook his head. "That had to suck. No parents, and having Kyuubi bug you night and day. I guess we have a couple things in common."

"Huh?"

Arren sat down against a tree, and motioned to Naruto to do the same. "Let me tell you my story. From what I understand, my dad, who would have been your uncle Tanryoku, left Uzu when he was young. He wondered the world a bit, before finding himself lost in the middle of an unknown country beyond the borders of Suna. While he was out there, he collapsed from exhaustion. When he awoke, he found himself being cared for by a beautiful woman, named Asahana Pikku. She had found him, and brought him back to her tribes home. She nursed him back to health, they fell in love, you can guess the rest. Well, I was born about 14 years ago, and-"

"Wait. How can you be 14? You look like an adult."

Arren stiffened slightly, and became serious for the first time. "It's something I don't like talking about. Let's just say I ran into a freak accident. Kay?"

Naruto nodded, his curiosity piqued. Arren went on. "So, anyways, I was born, and my parents started training me in their various styles. The Pikku tribe are different then normal ninja's, because we use nature chakra. We can't perform jutsu's that don't have to do with nature, but we can do a lot more with the elements then a normal shinobi. You saw what I did, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Well, besides that, and the awesome armor, the Pikku were also known as the 'creators of animal summonings'. Because of our affinity to nature, Pikku were the first to be able to summon animals. But, some of the contracts leaked out, which is how other shinobi can summon animals."

Naruto nodded. "I actually have signed the toad summoning."

"Really? Their a lot of fun. But maybe I can help you back those up with a summoning contract with more fire power. I'm surprised Kyuubi didn't give you the fox contract."

"We're not on the best of terms."

"Right. Well, moving along. About six years ago, a terrible plague struck the Pikku. They couldn't cure it, and so, one by one, they died. My father took me and my mother to escape it, but not fast enough. She died of the illness too. My father... well, he was pretty upset. He took me back to Uzu, only to find it destroyed. That was the final straw for him. He told me that I needed to go wander the land, and someday bring the Uzumaki clan back. Then he headed straight for Iwa. I heard rumors he actually assassinated the Tschuikage, before taking his own life."

Naruto's eyes widened. "How can you just talk like it's no big deal?"

"Because if I dwell too much on it, it would just tear me up. You have to move on, and look at the good things in life. Like all of this. All this beauty and life around us." He spread his arms to indicate all the tree's around him. "There's no way to despair when there is so much life out here to enjoy." He smiled, before turning to Naruto.

"So, I've been wandering around the world, had my little accident, and then I find you. So, what's your story?"

Naruto sighed, before relating his own tale. About the Kyuubi being sealed in him, about the years of loneliness, about training to be a ninja, and to be Hokage, about his friends, his adventures, and finally, about his banishment. When he stopped, Arren whistled. "That was heartbreaking. But, now you have a cousin, so life is better, right?"

Naruto nodded. "You know, you're weird."

"And proud of it. Now, about what I said, about us being similar?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, guess what? I'm a jinchuuriki, just like you!"

Naruto looked at him, then burst out laughing. "You, a jinchuuriki?"

"Well, not the same, but yeah. This wasn't my freak accident, but it led to it. See, after me and my dad separated, I was wandering down near Suna for a bit. Well, one day, I found this person, who was using these jutsu's to torture this creature. I didn't see it properly, until I stopped the guy. When I began to examine it, I found it was some type of weird hybrid between a cheetah, and a wolf. Next thing I know, it touches me with it's snout, and I pass out. Well, that incident caused my freaky accident, which then led to my older body, and then I woke up. The creature was gone, until I heard it talk to me in my head. Apparently, it was a type of lesser demon, not in the same class as the tailed biju. That guy had pretty much mortally wounded it, and it saved itself by sealing itself in me. He apologized, and gave me incredible speed. See, he wasn't as strong as the tailed biju are. But he's a lot faster then they are. Well, I couldn't blame him for wanting to live, now could I? So, we got to know each other, and we're the best of buds. So, me and you are jinchuuriki brothers."

Arren suddenly hugged Naruto, who was finding himself confused. This guy was twice as old as he was, but acted like he was a teenager. _He's either a nut job, or just happy to find some family._ Naruto decided it was the latter, and hugged his cousin. Somehow, he couldn't help but trust him. When they pulled apart, Arren smiled.

"So, what were you planning on doing?"

"Thought I might see some sights. But you know where Uzu is, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I want to go there. I want to see my mothers old home."

Arren nodded. "Right. We'll leave first thing in the morning. Oh, and I think I might start training you in a few things. If these Akatsuki guys are after you, I'll need to make you as strong as possible. But for now, let's see what's happening in the town over, there."

With that, Arren leapt up, and helped Naruto gather his pack. With that, he started towards the nearby town. Naruto followed, wondering what he was getting himself into. He loved the idea of having actual family, and the training. But this "accident" Arren had mentioned. Naruto wondered what that was about, and what could it have been to age him ten extra years. With a shrug, he followed Arren, ready for new adventures.

* * *

**Okay, I think this is bad. I felt good about this chapter, until I started writing Arren's history. Allan pike gave me this OC, and I hope that I did him justice. But, I was writing the history on my own, and it just feels weird. Anyways, the next chapters should be better, because I'm just writing, instead of inventing a history for a character. It was hard with some of the info I have here. If you are confused, I'll try to answer as best I can. If you don't like, I'm terribly sorry, because I wrote this at two in the morning, and my brain is scatter shot. Allan, I hope Arren is acceptable, and if I screwed up, I'm sorry, please tell me what I did wrong.**


	4. Training Begins

**My last chapter was a bit off, and I have had a few remarks that have helped me understand my weaknesses in writing. I'm a little too OC with the regular characters. Can't say how much of that I can fix here, but I'll do better later on.**

**Arren: I think you messed me up. I'm not like that, am I?**

**LR: (Sighs) No. But one, you had just discovered a relative you thought you didn't have.** **And two, it was two in the morning**. **You'll be more mellow here.**

**RS: Wow, his stats are so weird. Why are you so weak?**

**Arren: I'm fast. I don't use strength, I use speed to overwhelm my opponents. Besides there are few forces more powerful than Mother Nature.**

**Arashen: He's right. In my times in the wild, nature was a far greater enemy than shinobi were.**

**LR: Anyways, the bathroom is fixed, the snacks and drinks are here, so there is no need to go and cause an explosion, is there? (Glares at RS)**

**RS: No.**

**LR: Good. Let's begin.**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline, and any invented jutsus I don't give someone else credit for. HEY! Don't hog the popcorn!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Training Begins**

Tsunade sat at her desk, busily filling out the dread of kage's and leaders everywhere: paperwork. The horror that never ended. But Tsunade had much more on her mind.

The fact that Sasuke had gotten off with little punishment, coupled with him being given access to almost every unguarded jutsu the village had, was causing strife in the village. Many of the shinobi who had seen Naruto in action, and had heard of his fight against Gaara, were livid that he had been banished, but a traitor was merely scolded. Many were threatening to leave, and a few had actually purposely failed simple missions to help the civilians. The civilians in turn were disgusted at the "treacherous" actions and thoughts of some of their shinobi. Each day, new complaints came in, and Tsunade was the one who was forced to deal with them.

Tensions were high elsewhere. After receiving a report from Gaara, Sun became even colder towards Konoha. The recent alliance was still there, but Suna wasn't happy with it. They were now even less happy that the ninja responsible for the positive change in the man who would one day be Kazekage. Also, Snow/Spring country, which so recently owed Naruto much as well, had begun to withdraw their support of Konoha, which had been given freely after Naruto had saved their princess, Koyuki Kazahana. Also, traders from Wave country were becoming fewer, and those who did come were charging more than regular prices, or sometimes refusing to sell or buy at all to certain people. It was causing her much grief as Hokage.

Right now, she longed to go out, smash a whole bunch of buildings down, hurt Danzou and the civilian council as much as possible, before leaving to parts unknown. But she couldn't. She had taken this job to protect and serve Konoha. If she acted in such a fashion, she would disgrace the Hokage's before her, and the job forever. And when Naruto came back, he would probably want a job not shamed by the actions of the previous employee. She sighed as she filled out another form to supply more iron to the smiths, so they could forge more weapons. Suddenly, a small black paperweight glowed, as a seal appeared on it. Suddenly, a small orange and black frog pooped out, wearing a dark blue vest.

"Hi ya, baa-chan! I'm Gamakichi, Naruto's personal mail service! How ya doin'?"

Tsunade looked at the toad for a moment, and smiled. The toad reminded her of Naruto.

"I'm good. I'm actually surprised Naruto sent me a message so quick."

"Yeah, well, he had something important he had to tell you. Here." Gamakichi reached up to his back, opening the leather pouch up there. He pulled out a thick scroll. "I've got another one for a Hinata Hyuuga. You know where I can find her?"

Tsunade smiled, before taking both scrolls. "I'll give it to her. It must have been really important, if Naruto all ready sent her a letter as well."

Gamakichi nodded. "Oh it's important all right. The kid ran into a good buddy of mine, and all the other summonings. He wrote about him in the letter. Oh, and Naruto wanted me to tell you to start looking you age. Bye!"

Before the now furious, and vein throbbing Tsunade could smash the toad with a fist, he disappeared.Tsunade reared back her head, and shouted, "NAAAAAAARRRRUUUUUUTOOOOOOOO!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Sasuke heard the yell, but paid it no mind. Currently, with his ANBU escort, he was making his way through to the Uchiha district from the general shinobi library.He was carrying a dozen or so scrolls on jutsu's. As he walked, he noticed how many people were now smiling at him, and a few cheered and bowed. That wasn't unusual, except that they were more vocal about it. What was unusual was that every so often, a person would glare at him, and muttered "traitor" under their breath. Almost all the shinobi did this, but to find civilians too was unnerving. Sasuke just shook his head.

He approached the gate to the Uchiha district, only to stop dead at what he saw. The gate was in shambles, and someone had painted "traitor", and "scum" all over the walls. A few of the Uchiha fan symbols were painted over with a symbol of a fox head. And in the middle of all these, someone had painted a Naruto face giving his fox grin.

Sasuke felt a slow anger boil through him. To view him as a traitor, he could stand that. But no one had a right to desecrate his clan's home. In a rage, he stormed through the gate, through the empty streets, and to his home. When he rounded the wall around his house, he stopped, seeing Danzou and a pale skinned, almost femininely dressed ninja. A wakazashi hilt peered over his right shoulder.

Sasuke looked at the two of them. "Danzou-sama, can I help you? " He asked, barely controlling his rage at what had been done to his clans home.

"It is I who wish to help you. I want to make you strong, so you can defeat Naruto Uzumaki."

"Don't you mean Namikaze?"

Danzou frowned. "Even _if _Tsunade-san is correct, I refuse to acknowledge him as such. It would be a disgrace to the Yondaime to do so. But that is beside the point. I have a few jutsu's I think could help you. These, you won't find in a shinobi library."

Sasuke tilted hi head, showing his interest. "Really? Well, why don't we go inside and talk?"

As he led them inside, Sasuke smirked internally. _Perfect. If they can give me power, I can easily defeat Naruto, and kill him. Then, I'll have the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan, to kill Itachi with._

_Yes, you fool. I'll help you train. Then I'll turn you over to Orochimaru, and he'll take you over. Then, I will rule over Konoha, as I should. I'll make the village strong, and_ _then, I'll conquer the other nations._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hiashi Hyuuga watched in amazement, as his eldest daughter struck the training dummy in the dojo of the Hyuuga estate. He had walked by to find her in there, practicing. She had been working for almost three hours now, and showed no signs of relenting.

_Does this have to do with Naruto? She's pushing herself hard. Harder then anyone else in the clan. _

A branch member approached, carrying a scroll. He bowed to Hiashi.

"Hiashi-sama, this scroll just arrived from the Hokage's office. It is for Hinata-sama."

Hiashi nodded, and took the scroll, before dismissing the servant. He approached Hinata, who stepped back, and prepared for her next set of attacks.

"Enough. You'll cripple yourself training this hard." He gaped in amazement as Hinata looked up at him. There was a fire of determination, which he had never seen before. Slowly he held out the scroll. "This came from the Hokage's office. It is for you."

"Thank you, otou." She bowed as she took the scroll, then opened it up. As she began to read, her face immediately lit up. Hiashi smiled, knowing this could only mean one thing. "It's from Naruto, I presume?"

"Yes, otou. He is well." She continued to read, and then let out a happy laugh. "He... he has found a family member!"

Hiashi's eyes widened, and he came around behind her. He read the letter, which started with Naruto saying he was all right, that he had survived an attack from Oto ninja's, asking how she was, saying how much he all ready missed her. Then he started going on about a cousin who had helped him fight the ninja's. He described his cousin, and how his cousin was going to train him. Then he finished with saying again how much he missed her, and had written "love", only to scratch it out, and just wrote Naruto.

Hiashi smiled, as he saw the happy look on his daughters face. He knew that she was happy that Naruto wasn't alone, and apparently had not only found family, but a strong ninja to protect him. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him.

"This is good news indeed. He is doing well. You'll have to train hard, though, if you want to make him proud when he comes back."

He had informed Hinata of what had transpired in the Council meeting. About Naruto's true lineage, and how he would eventually come back. He left out the part involving Sasuke, as he didn't want to upset Hinata.

She smiled, and turned back to the training dummies, only to be stopped by her father's hand still on her shoulder.

"You have trained enough for now. Rest, eat something, then resume your training. Perhaps me and you could spar later, if I have the time."

Hinata bowed her head. "Yes, otou. I would like that."

Hiashi smiled, as he left. He entered his study, and looked at one of the pictures on the desk. It showed himself, Minato, and their wives, both of whom were pregnant. Hiashi smiled as the memories washed over him.

_Minato, I think you would be proud of your son._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Sakura waited for Tsunade in the special room that the Medic Sannin would train her in. Tsunade had taken Sakura on as her apprentice, but it hadn't been easy to convince her to do so.

Sakura was determined that she would no longer be such a weak kunoichi. She wanted to be strong, so that she could be like Naruto.

_He never gave up. He kept his promises, even when it almost killed him. Out of the three of us, he really was the strongest. And that's what I want to be. Strong, so I'm not influenced by a mere crush, or forced to rely on others all the time. I want to be able to protect others too, just like Naruto, and... _Her thoughts trailed away, as her mind became confused on it's thoughts about Sasuke.

Tsunade entered, having mostly calmed down from her burst of anger at Naruto. She smiled at Sakura. "I have something that might interest you. Naruto wrote me a letter. He's found a cousin."

Sakura's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah. Turns out his uncle had a kid, and now they've met up. Their going to be traveling together, training and such."

Sakura suddenly smiled. "That's great! That means he'll be safe out there!"

Tsunade nodded, then became serious. "Right, enough talk. Time to get to work!"

Sakura snapped to attention, as Tsunade began to teach her medical ninjutsu.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto and Arren began heading northward, through the Land of Fire and towards Waterfall Country. After he had settled down from his hype about finding a lost cousin, Naruto had learned a few more things about Arren. For one, he was never serious, unless someone died. Another was he never killed. A third was the name of his biju, Haiya Shikon (Fast Fang). Kyuubi had snorted in disgust, only to have Naruto yell for the fox to shut up.

As they walked Naruto started asking questions about his training, and Arren's skills.

"So, this nature chakra. Is it something I can learn?"

"Nope. Sorry, but you need to be trained almost as soon as you can walk. The first thing, when your mind is still open and innocent, is to be trained to sense the chakra in everything."

Arren knelt, and ran his hands through the grass. "The energy running through the grass. The energy flowing through those birds, through the trees. There's chakra in everything. But you must be trained to recognize it. That's why I can't train you to use nature chakra."

"So, what will you train me in?"

"Well, there are a few summoning contracts I want you to see. Maybe some will take to you. And while I can't train you in nature chakra, I can train you in elemental jutsu's. First, your affinities." Arren touched Naruto's head, and closed his eyes. He began to chant, and then suddenly opened his eyes.

"You're mainly wind, with lightning as a secondary. Thanks to Kyuubi, if you should unlock the foxes power, you'll use all the elements. But wind and lightning will be your strongest."

"How do you know? Was that some freaky element detecting jutsu?"

"Naw. I just sensed them when I first ran into you. That whole bit was to mess with you."

Naruto face planted, as Arren chuckled while moving on. Naruto picked himself up, and quickly caught up.

"Well, what else?"

"Swords. I may not carry one, but my dad made sure I was a blade master, just like all Uzumaki's. So, when we get you a decent blade, I'll start training you."

Naruto nodded. "Well, I do have some other jutsu's here. Maybe you can help me with them?"

Arren nodded. "Sure. But first things first. We need to up your strength and speed." With a single handsign, rocks erupted from the ground, and secured themselves over Naruto's body like a suit of armor. He suddenly found it was hard to move.

"What is this?"

"Besides protection? That will act as weights, until I can get a proper set. When you start to get used to move with all that on, let me know, and we'll up the amount."

Naruto sighed under his breath. "Why do I feel like being like Shikamaru, and saying troublesome?"

At that moment, a lazy chuunin genius sneezed, before going back to contemplating his next move against his sensei. He moved a knight piece into position.

"Game."

Naruto eventually was able to move at a respectable pace, but the weights kept him below a jog. Arren smiled, before revealing his own weights. He was carrying a hundred pounds on each arm and leg, and two hundred on his chest, under his shirt.

"I was wearing these during the fight yesterday. Pretty sweet, huh?"

Naruto just stared at him in disbelief, before lowering his head to concentrate on moving his legs.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

For the next week, they continued on their trip. Each day, Arren would have Naruto practice basic and advanced chakra control exercises, and showed him a few Konoha didn't have. Naruto slowly adjusted to the weight, until he could break into a jog, but anything beyond that was still unattainable. At night, Naruto began to pour over the scrolls he had been given by Anko, and Jiraiya. Jiraiya's scroll contained not just the Rasengan and Hiraishin, plus several of the tri pronged kunai for it, but notes on a Rasengan with a element combined. Also, there were some techniques Jiraiya had learned, and a few others he had encountered and recorded. Naruto wanted to work on the Hiraishin, until Arren bopped him on the head, and told him to start simple.

"Better to have many medium jutsu's, then have only one high ranked jutsu."

So, Naruto was working on element control, and a jutsu that would double his current striking speed in taijutsu, but would lower the attack power by half. It would come in handy until his speed was high enough up.

Naruto grumbled at his tenant. _You know, you could help. After all, the better chance I have of surviving, the better chance you have._

"**This works both ways, brat. You don't want to hang out with me, I don't help you.**"

_And then you die when I get taken out. This is for your good as much as mine, fur ball._

"**Grrrrr, fine. But only if you call me Kyuubi.**"

_Fine. Then you can call me Naruto, or kit, or whatever along those lines. Deal?_

"**Deal.**" With that, the Kyuubi immediately began listing off exactly what Naruto needed to do to pull the jutsu off faster.

That was the way Naruto's life went. Each day was spent getting used to the weights, and practicing chakra control. Each night, he trained his jutsu's. By the end of the second week, when they were on the border of Waterfall, and what had been Uzu, Naruto had seven more jutsu's under his belt, including a wind and lightning jutsu.

They stopped at the border, and Arren sighed. "This is where the real fun begins. Uzu shared a border with Iwa, near the eastern tip at the coast. When Iwa took out Uzu, they took over the land, and added it to their own. So, we need to sneak into Uzu, and sneak out when we're ready."

He turned to Naruto, who now had almost 600 pounds of earth on him. "Keep your eyes and other senses open. Iwa shinobi have no love for Konoha, Uzu, or anyone for that matter. Well, lets go."

They quietly slipped past the border, and into Iwa. They made their way through the country side, avoiding most towns and villages, until they came to a depression in the landscape. Down on the valley floor, Naruto sighted his mother's home for the first time.

At one time, it would have seemed like a peaceful place. The village was backed against the coast, with a wall surrounding it. It would have been small, only about as big as a regular civilian village.

Now, ruins stood where the walls and buildings had been. There was the remains of a dock, and even a shipwreck.

Naruto shook his head, and slowly headed down, Arren right behind him. They passed through the gap in the ruined wall that had once been the gate.

Naruto glanced around. One time, these buildings had been bustling with people and business. Children would have run through the streets, laughing happily. Now, the buildings were nothing but falling stone and broken timbers. The streets were littered with debris, desolate except for the occasional bird or rat. A chilling wind suddenly blew over them, as a cloud blotted out the sun. Naruto could almost feel the despair hanging ver the ruined village.

"This... this feels... it feels horrible." He whispered. Suddenly, a ray of light broke through the clouds, and illuminated one spot. Naruto felt drawn to it. Arren followed at a distance.

Naruto found himself in front of what might have been a clan estate. There was a symbol on a fallen board. As Naruto knelt to examine it, Arren looked over his shoulder. It was the red swirl that was on the back of the flak jackets worn by the chuunin and jounin of Konoha. But over it were crossed katanas.

"That's our clans symbol. The symbol of the Uzumaki."

Naruto looked up. "So, this was her home." He slowly entered, picking his way through the debris. He came to an area that was mostly clear, except for what looked like destroyed weapon racks. He found several broken katanas, and other weapons. As he turned, he saw where the sun ray had landed. A glint of gold caught his attention, and he slowly approached. He found the hilt of a katana sticking out of a pile of debris. As he cleared it all away, Arren came over.

"What did you find?"

Naruto didn't answer, as he was staring at his discovery. It was a pair of katanas. One was a little over three feet, and was sheathed in a simple black scabbard, treated with a finish, and polished to shine. The hilt was also mostly plain, wrapped in black cloth, with a black hilt guard. It was a standard shinobi katana.

The other sword, the one that had gotten naruto's attention, was different. This sword was longer, three feet and nine inches. The scabbard was wood, painted a wine red color, and treated with a high polish finish. The hilt was wrapped in red and black cloth, and one side covered a golden dragon emblem. About four inches above the pommel, there was a etched metal band. Below it was another golden dragon emblem. The hilt guard was black, with gold symbols on either side of it. The side of the hilt had a number of birds over a mountain range. The other side had a golden dragon wrapped halfway around the hilt guard. Naruto slowly picked the sword up, and with a gentle tug, unsheathed it. The blade was long, narrow, and curved. Along one side, the name of the blade was etched.

"Ken no Uzu Izou. The Blade of Uzu's Legacy." Naruto said softly. He turned to Arren. "This blade. It... it's one of the last heirlooms of the clan."

Arren nodded. "Makes sense. And it makes sense that you should wield it."

Naruto looked at him, then at the blade. He slowly touched the end, where the second dragon emblem was. With a small tug, he revealed a short knife sheathed in the end of the blade. He looked it over, then sheathed the dagger, then the katana. He reached out, took the other sword, and secured it to his back under his pack. He looked at the red sword, before securing it to his belt. Slowly, he looked around.

"This could have been my home. This could have been somewhere I visited to see my grandparents. But Kyuubi and Iwa took those chances away from me."

Slowly, he drew the red sword, and cut his palm on it. "I swear upon my blood, and this sword, I will never dishonor our families name."

Arren nodded, as Naruto cleaned the blade, and sheathed it. They dug through the wreckage, and came out with a set of training weights, which Naruto donned. It was less than he had before, but Arren promised they would buy more at the first shop in Waterfall. Slowly Arren turned to leave, only to see Naruto perform his Shadow Clone jutsu. The clones immediately began to scrounge through the wreckage, bringing various pieces together. After they had gathered a certain amount, they began to construct something. After an hour, they stepped back.

It was a memorial, with the plank of the Uzumaki symbol on it. Naruto slowly bowed his head, before turning to Arren.

"I'm ready, sensei."

"Hey, I'm your cousin. Besides, you're going to be teaching me some things too."

Naruto smiled. "Really? Like what?"

"Well, how about this thing you call... ramen."

With a laugh, the two trudged away, leaving their families home behind. As they reached the top of the hill, Naruto took one last look. He slowly reached into his pocket, and pulled out his mother's headband. He looked at it, then tied it to his forehead. He looked back, as the wind began to whip the long cloth tails from the knot. The wind blew a few tears from his face, before he turned and headed off.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The Tsuchikage couldn't believe the report he had been given. His ninja's had discovered a man, who had amazing powers they had never seen. He had easily slain four chuunin, without breaking a sweat. Now, he was planning to meet this man, and possibly gain him as a powerful asset to Iwa.

There was a knock on the door, and the Tsuchikage stood to his feet. "Come in."

The door opened, and a massive man entered. He was easily over six feet, almost seven. He was muscular, that much was certain from the bulges in his black leather clothing. He wore a long sleeved leather tunic, pants, and fingerless gloves. A dark red cloak with gold design hung from his shoulders. But what caught the Tsuchikage's attention was the man's skin and face. His skin was a dark grey green. His eyes were yellow, almost golden. He had red hair, done in a series of rolls on his head. The man's face was intelligent, but he gave a air of cruelty.

The Tsuchikage indicated the seat opposite his desk. The man came, and sat down.

"I'm honored that you agreed to meet with me."

"The pleasure is mine." The man's voice was deep, and rough. He looked around in interest.

The kage of Iwa nodded, as he sat down. "You have amazing power's, or so I'm told. Would you, perhaps, consider putting them to use?"

"How so?"

"Well, we could use your help here. If you would like, I would make you a jounin of this village, and give you any thing you wanted."

The man considered this offer. It actually fit into his plans. "Well, I will agree, on one condition. I'm looking for something. If you can assist me in this, and allow me to leave to hunt down clues, then I'll gladly offer you my services."

The Tsuchikage slowly nodded. "Then we have a deal." He shook the man's hand. "Welcome to Iwa. May I ask for your name?"

The man smiled, an evil smile that almost sucked the light from the room. "Ganondorf. My name is Ganondorf."

* * *

**LR: Well, you Zelda fans know what this means, right? Someone asked me if Naruto will get a piece of the Triforce. Nope. He will get something though. Oh by the way. The red katana Naruto got? The Blade of Uzu's Legacy? Well it actually is my katana. Seriously, that is my katana that I just wrote into the story. Pretty sweet, huh?**

**Arren: Yeah, it is cool. I can't wait to train Naruto in how to use it.**

**Arashen: It is a cool blade. But I prefer my own.**

**RS: You mean this straight bladed broadsword? (Holds up Arashen's sword)**

**Arashen: Give that back!**

**Arashen chases RS, trying to get his sword back, while LR and Arren sit back, drinking soda.**


	5. A Friend From The Past

**Leaf Ranger here. This is the update on Legend of Naruto's stats. With four chapters done, I have 120 reviews, 4,376 hits, 7 communities, 42 favorites, and 76 alerts. Basically, I just blew both my other stories out of the water for when they hit chapter 5.**

**RS: Totally wicked!**

**Arren: Nice.**

**Naruto: HECK YEAH! Believe it!**

**Arashen: I guess no one really liked me.**

**LR: Awww, cheer man. You just popped up in the wrong one. Don't worry, you'll get another chance. Remeber?**

**Arashen: Oh yeah, fanfic number five. Can't wait.**

**LR: Me, I can't wait to write my fanfic after this one. I've been itching to get to it. But not until this one is complete, and done well. **

**RS: Isn't it the-**

**LR: No spoilers. Only those who visit my profile can know of my fanfic ideas. I just hope no one steals any of them.**

**Arren is secretly looking at a picture he had in his pocket. Arashen comes up behind him.**

**Arashen: Hey, who's she?**

**Arren: It's nothing. (Puts picture away, with sad look on his face, before cheering up) So, let's get this started, right?**

**LR: Right. Sit back and enjoy.**

**As the others sit back, another figure suddenly joins them**

**U.P.: Mind if I join you?**

**They look at him in surprise, and then LR smiles: How ya doing?!**

Disclaimer: Ya know the drill. I own nothing. Get it, got it, doubt it.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**A Friend from the Past**

_Two years later, in the Land of Rivers._

Five bandits snickered as they tied a family to a oak tree. They had ambushed them in their camp while they slept. Now, they ransacked the place, looking for gold and valuables. The two children, a young boy and girl, whimpered in fear, while the mother tried to comfort them with her words. The father glared at the bandits, wishing he hadn't been so sloppy, and could have gotten to his sword in time.

"Hey boss!" One of the bandits, a fat greasy man with an axe, yelled from the tent, which he was busy searching. The leader of the bandits, a tall man with a rusty katana, walked over.

"What?!"

"Look at this!" The fat man held up a necklace with a brilliant emerald in it. The leader nodded in approval.

"Very nice. Put it with the rest."

The other three men, all muscular men with little intelligence, were busy going through the cart the family had. Their mule lay on the ground, it's throat slit.

In the trees nearby, two figures watched the whole incident. One of them, wearing regular clothes, leaned back against the tree. "So, what do we do?"

The other man, who was over five feet in height, pushed his sunglasses back up on his face**, **before running a hand through his spiky blond hair. He wore a grey mesh muscle shirt**, **black cargo pants, and a long black coat**, **with several pockets on the inside. He had on black shinobi sandals, and a pair of black fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back of the hands. A black katana hilt showed over his right shoulder, while a red and black one peeked out of his coat.

"Well, you get their attention. Then I go in, free the family, and we take them out. The leader's mine. I bet he's never even used that sword in his life."

The other man nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Glad I didn't have to come up with it." The two figures vanished without a sound.

Back in the clearing, the little girl began to cry. One of the bandits came over. "Shut up, little missy, or I'll really give you something to cry about."

"Don't you touch her, you coward!" The dad yelled. The bandit drew out a knife as he approached the tied up man.

"Or what? I think you need to be taught some manners!" he raised a hand to open the father's mouth and pull out his tongue, only to have a vine wrap around his wrist.

"Hi! Mind if I cut in?" With that, Arren Pikku Uzumaki, now nicknamed the "Green Ghost", had the man yanked backed off his feet, and onto the ground. At the same time, another bandit was hit by a tree branch that swung his way. The leader turned to all the commotion, in time to see four of the blond man free the family, and pull them to safety. The real one came out from behind a tree. The fat bandit began to shake.

"T-t-the.. Its t-the..."

"Yeah. It's the one and only Black Fox." With that, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the "Black Fox" pulled a kunai from in his jacket, and in the same movement, flung it right into the man's forehead. He fell without a sound. The bandit Arren faced off against found himself being shackled to the ground by dirt which swiftly covered his limbs. Arren turned, his dark yellow and blue armor forming around him. He channeled chakra into both his arms, creating both his shields. One of the bandits swung a heavy cleaving blade down on him, only to be blocked by the left shield. From the right, a blade emerged, before splitting into a tri pronged blade. He caught the bandit's blade in between one of the prongs and the main blade, and twisted, snapping the cleaver in half. The bandit backed up, dropping his blade, and then turned to run. Arren formed a bolas from a vine and three rocks, and began to swing them around, before releasing it. It thrummed through the air, and caught around the bandit's neck. The rocks whirled around, before one smashed into the bandit's nose, breaking it and dropping him. Arren let out a satisfied smile.

"Man, I love my work." He said, as Haiya snickered in him.

"**Nice one.**"

Naruto reached over his back, and pulled out the simple katana. He held it loosely in his hand, watching the two bandits. The one was shaking, and his sword proved it, the way it was twitching back and forth. The leader smirked.

"You're nothing but a kid. I don't care how many men you've killed, I'll defeat you." With a roar, he charged forward. Naruto looked at him, then in casually way, moved to the left. As he moved, Naruto stuck his left foot out, and tripped the man up, sending him crashing to the ground. Naruto trapped his blade with one foot, and swung his sword down. The rusty blade broke in half, and Naruto stepped back, allowing the leader to get up, holding a shorn hilt. He backed up, turned, and grabbed the sword from the other bandit's hand, and charged forward again. This time, Naruto stepped forward, and to the side, blocking the attack with ease. He pushed up, knocking the blade upwards, before reversing his attack, and hitting the man in the back of the legs with the flat of his blade. As the bandit fell, Naruto stabbed down while falling to one knee, his blade entering the leader's chest. The whole time, his eyes remained on the now quivering mess that had been the other bandit.

"Boo." He whispered. The terrified man did three things, in this order. He screamed like a little girl, wet himself, and passed out. Naruto shook his head, as he cleaned his sword, and sheathed it with a flourish. He looked around the campsite.

Arren was busy tying up the two he had fought, before dragging the other one over. Naruto created two more shadow clones, which dragged the bodies away after searching them for any valuables. When they were gone, the other clones brought the family back.

Naruto nodded to all of them. "I trust you're all right?"

The husband nodded. "We are. Thank you. You arrived just in time."

Arren smiled. "It was no problem. Glad we could help."

Naruto held out the necklace. "Here, this is yours."

The wife smiled happily as she took it. "Thank you. It belonged to my mother, and it's all I have of her now."

Naruto nodded, before looking around. "There's a town not too far from here. We should be able to get you there safety."

He bit his thumb, and began performing handsigns, before slamming his hand down on the ground. "**Summoning Jutsu!**"

In a poof of smoke, a large brown fox, about as big as a horse, appeared. It turned to look at Naruto.

"**What do you need?**"

Naruto nodded to the cart. "Help me pull that?"

The fox nodded, while Naruto had to endure a voice shrieking in his head. "**You dare use a fox like a common mule!**"

_It's all I got. What, is it your time of the month? _During his talks with Kyuubi, Naruto had actually found out that it was a she. And while she did allow Naruto to use the fox summonings, she didn't approve of the way he sometimes used them.

"**I'll get you for that! When this seal weakens-.**"

_You'll eat me alive, and destroy Konoha, blah, blah, blah. Got anything original?_

Kyuubi muttered as she settled into her cage. Naruto turned to the fox. "I'm sorry to use you like this. If one of my other summons could, I would use them."

"**No need. It is an honor to help you. Our last mortal summoner was a fraud anyways. He just wanted to use us to rule the world.**"

Naruto nodded, as he helped hook the fox up. Arren was helping the family pack, and load the cart. As they hopped on, Naruto created three clones, and all four of them started to push the cart, while the fox pulled. Arren stayed in the cart, to look out for trouble.

Naruto looked up at his cousin. "You know, you could help."

"I am. I look out for trouble, while you, with the muscles, push."

Naruto mumbled about lazy cousins, while his clones nodded.

Two hours later, the cart, minus the fox summon, rolled into the town. There, Naruto and Arren bid farewell to the family, as they headed to the local bar.

Naruto glanced at his reflection in a window of a shop they passed. He had really changed in two years. His lack of daily ramen had led him to grow by an incredible amount, while his weights and other training had given him a more muscular physique. He wasn't ripped, but he wasn't a twig either.

After leaving Uzu, his training had increased. He now had 700 pounds of weights on. 125 per limb, and 200 hundred on his chest. With them, he was about as fast as Lee had been with his weights. Without them, he would have beat out Lee for speed without his weights. He had also signed summoning contracts for dragons, to give him firepower and flight, and Kyuubi had all ready given him the fox contract. His elemental training now made him a master of wind jutsu, but his lightning jutsu's were still lacking. Worse still, Kyuubi refused to give her power willing, except if Naruto's life depended on it.

As for his other jutsu's, Naruto had about a hundred D and C ranked jutsus, twenty B ranked jutsu's, five A ranked jutsus, and two S jutsu that were still in progress. He had gotten the basics of Hiraishin, but had yet to be able to go more than a few feet one time. Basically, it was control that he was lacking. As for the other jutsu, it was another thing his father was working on.

_**Flashback**_

"_I think I've got it!" Naruto yelled, as he and two clones concentrated on creating their new technique. Suddenly a Rasengan began to form in his hand. A whistling sound joined the thrum, and wind began to form around it, creating blades. Soon, Naruto was holding what looked like a giant shuriken of chakra and wind. Then, it cut out, and faded away._

_Naruto slumped to the ground, exhausted. "It's... It's too much. I... can't... control it."_

_Arren sighed. "The problem is Kyuubi. You remember what she said?"_

"_Yeah. I only have half her chakra. Without it, her yang chakra overwhelms my control, and disrupts it." Naruto said, as he splashed clod water on his head._

"_Right. Your control is better by miles, but it will never be perfect, until Kyuubi's chakra is complete."_

_**Flashback Ends**_

Naruto sighed as he followed Arren into the bar. He had sent a letter to Tsunade about that, asking if she knew. Her reply was that Jiraiya would know, and to ask him. Jiraiya's reply to his letter was that he had the Yin chakra stored away, but couldn't give it to Naruto yet, because Naruto couldn't control Kyuubi's power. Without controlling her power, Naruto could lose control of a fully powered and restored Kyuubi, and she could shatter the seal.

Naruto sat down at table, while Arren went to the bar. He came back with two cups of juice. Pineapple for him, and apple for Naruto. Naruto glared at his juice, and then up at Arren, who was taking a drink. Arren sighed as he saw Naruto's glare. "What?"

"You know, I am a fifteen year old. I don't need to drink a cup of juice every where we go."

"Awwww, but it's so good for you. With all the nutrients. Besides, there was nothing else but sake and herbal tea. You're not old enough to drink, and you said you hate herbal tea."

Naruto was about to retort, when a small poof of smoke appeared next to Arren. It was a small white tiger cub, who had a leather pouch attached to it's back. It came over to Naruto, and jumped into his lap.

"**Lady Hinata has a letter for you.**"

Naruto smiled, as he stroked the tiger's head, and removed the scroll from the pouch. "Thanks Shima."

The tiger disappeared, as Naruto unrolled the scroll.

_Naruto-kun_

_Thanks again for the tiger summoning contract. It really helped with me being able to send you a message whenever I wanted to, instead of waiting for Jiraiya-sama. Shima is so cute, he sometimes sleeps on my bed with me at night._

_Things have been going well. Kiba-kun finally made chuunin. He was really upset when me and Shino-kun made chuunin last year, and he didn't._

_Sakura wanted me to tell you that she's completed her studies with Tsunade-sama, although she is still her apprentice. She wanted to know if the rumors about you are even true. That you are capable of killing five men without even using a jutsu. Ino is the same. I think they are becoming your fan girls._

_Lee-kun, Neji ni-san, and Tenten came back from a border patrol mission. They said that in one town, they saw a statue that had been dedicated to you and Arren by the town's people. You are becoming quite the hero, aren't you?_

_The village is still in an uproar from what happened two weeks ago. Apparently, a chuunin was caught painting obscenities on the Uchiha district wall. Tsunade merely forced him to do D ranked missions for a while, causing the civilians to be angry. Things are still tense here. I fear the village may soon explode in civil war._

_I'm sorry to put a damper on the mood. I must finish this letter now, as I need to train with otou. He's helping me finish perfecting my new move. I hope to be able to show it to you when you return. _

_Love, Hinata Hyuuga_

Naruto smiled as he rolled the scroll up, and placed it into a storage scroll specifically marked "Hinata". He smiled as he remembered her letter after he had sent her the tiger contract, and the instructions on it. She had been so happy about it, and sent him a long letter that had to be delivered by one of the older tiger cubs.

Naruto began to think about what would happen when he returned. Tsunade had informed him almost a month later, when the council had decided he should know of it. He had almost dropped dead at the sight of the letter telling him he could return home one day. Of course, he had to wait for the teme to finish training, which could take years, but to Naruto, it didn't matter. All that did matter was that he could at least come home, eventually.

Naruto came out of his thoughts, as he noticed a disturbance a few tables over. Some drunken fools were busy trying to hook up with a woman wearing a large cloak. Her face was mostly shadowed by her hood, but Naruto could tell she was annoyed by their attention. He sat back, planning to leave the situation be, until one of the men went a little too far.

He reached out, and grabbed her hand, saying "Listen, you little tramp. I don't care what you say, you're going to entertain us!"

"Let me go!" She yelled, her voice musical, but marred by the anger and slight fear in it. The man merely laughed, and started to drag her to her feet, when a hand clasped itself on his shoulder.

"She said, let go." With that, Naruto swung the man around, and out through the door, followed by his two companions. They all stumbled to their feet, as Naruto walked out.

"You bum! Don't you know not to mess with us? We're the Sanzoku brothers!"

Naruto's eye brow over his left eye raised up a bit. "Really? The infamous Sanzoku brothers, who prey on weak and innocent travelers who are all alone? Infamous my butt."

"You little wretch. We'll be having your apology, and that sword there." The bandit took a step forward, then suddenly stopped, as he felt an amazing amount of killer intent come off the man in front of him.

"This sword is the Legacy of my family. It is the treasure of Uzu. It is a sword that belongs only in the hands of one who truly knows what it means to wield it, and you WILL NOT DEFILE IT!" With a roar, Naruto disappeared, reappearing with his blade drawn, and crimson blood coating it. Just as suddenly the man's throat spurted blood, and he fell to the ground. Naruto turned to the other two.

"Eighter of you want my blade?"

They both shook their heads, as they backed up. Naruto flicked the blade to one side, spraying the blood on it to the ground, before cleaning it with a cloth. He tossed the cloth on the dead man, as his two companions were now tiny dots with a huge dust cloud.

Arren came out, shaking his head. "You didn't really have to kill him, did you?"

"He dare suggest to wielding Uzu Izou. You know I won't stand for that, unless the person is someone I trust."

"Yeah, but he was a nobody. You could have just beaten him up, and let him go."

"And then he comes back with fifty of his buddies, and we have to fight all of them. More than likely, to the death."

"Seriously, why do you find a need to kill like this? You didn't use to be like that."

"Remember that old man we found? All butchered in his own home? I have no respect for people like that, who take lives so willingly for their own gain. They don't deserve the air they breathe."

"Yeah but-."

"Please, may I know your names?"

The girl Naruto had saved came out after them. She glanced at the body, and pulled back slightly. Naruto created a shadow clone, which dragged the body away, out of town.

"Sorry about that. It's a personal problem of mine." Naruto said, as he sheathed his sword, and bowed. "I am Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, or you may have heard of me as the 'Black Fox'."

The girl nodded, and turned to Arren, who suddenly had a very surprised look on his face. "And you sir? Is something the matter?"

Arren just stood there, looking like he had seen a ghost. "E-eflower? Eflower Angelius?"

The girl was somewhat startled, and a wary look entered her sky blue eyes. "How do you know my name? Only two other people know my name."

"You don't recognize me? It's me, Arren."

The girl's face became shocked, and she lowered her hood, revealing a girl of sixteen, with long black hair, and tanned skin. She was incredibly beautiful, in an angelic way.

(A/N: This is actually a second OC by Allan Pike. He gave me her for a reason. Anyone care to guess why?)

"A-arren? Is that you?"

Arren simply nodded, as he stepped forward. Eflower smiled happily, and with a shout of joy, glomped on to him. The two swung around, hugging and laughing. Naruto just stood there, completely confused.

"Uhhhh... did I miss something?"

Arren smiled, as he stroked her face. "I can't believe you're alive! When that rogue ninja attacked, and we got separated, I thought I'd never see you again."

"Me too. I was so scared, I didn't know what to do. And then I started hearing these rumors about someone like you wandering the country. So I tried to track them down, to see if it was you."

"HEY! WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE OUT OF THE LOOP HERE?!" Naruto had become an angry big headed version of himself, with a throbbing vein, and raised, clenched fist. Eflower chuckled nervously, while Arren chuckled in amusement. It was funny when Naruto did that.

"Sorry, cuz. Naruto, meet Eflower Angelius, my child hood friend, and, well..." He became embarrassed, and blushed a little. Eflower was blushing too. Naruto calmed down, and smirked.

"She's your girlfriend , isn't she?"

"Well... nothing was official, but we acted like a couple, so yeah, I guess you could call us that."

Naruto's smirk became broader. "I so have you, for all the times you keep teasing me about Hinata. From now on, no more teasing." Then he bowed to Eflower again. "It is wonderful to meet someone close to my cousin."

Eflower smiled, and curtsied. "It is an honor to meet a relative of Arren's. By the way, where is your father?"

Arren sighed, and looked around. "It might be better to talk about things elsewhere. I haven't told Naruto anything about you, because I thought you were dead, and didn't want to bring up painful memeories."

They both nodded, and set out to the nearest hotel.

Several minutes later, they were gathered in a hotel room. Naruto leaned against the wall, while Arren flipped a chair around, and sat in it backwards. Eflower removed her cloak, to reveal a slim frame, clothed in a white shirt with an angel symbol on it, a pink mini skirt, and blue pants. Her shirt had strange flaps in the back, where her shoulder blades were.

She sat on the bed, and nodded to Naruto. "How much does he know of your past? And... why are you so older than you were when last I saw you?"

Arren sighed. "He knows about the Pikku, and my family. As for my age, I'll tell you in a bit. I think it's time we caught Naruto, and you, up to speed."

Arren turned to his cousin. "To put it simply, Eflower is an angel. To be more precise, she's an outcast angel."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in scepticism. "An angel?"

With a nod from Arren, Eflower closed her eyes. Suddenly, a pair of brown wings pushed out of the flaps of the shirt, and spread out behind her like she was stretching. Then they lowered behind her. Naruto gaped in amazement.

"Okay... now I believe."

Arren smiled. "You see, the Pikku tribe actually had neighbors. A clan of angels, who had taken it upon themselves to fight demons. And fight they did. At first, they only fought demons that were truly evil, bent on destroying life, and causing pain and suffering. But as time went, they began to make no distinctions. Soon, demons like Haiya, who simply wish to survive, were being hunted down, and killed."

"The Pikku were slightly outraged, as they knew not all demons were evil, and were part of this world. But they did nothing, so as not to incur their neighbors wrath. All that changed with me and Eflower."

He smiled at her, and she smiled back, as she retracted her wings. Then he turned back to Naruto. "The newest angels, who took the form of little children, would sometimes come play with kids of the Pikku tribe. When I was four, I met Eflower. Well, we hit right off, and became good friends."

_**Flashback**_

"_E? Where are you?"_

_A seven year old Arren stumbled through some trees, looking for his friend. He heard a giggle, but couldn't find her. Eventually he looked up, and saw her standing on a tree branch._

"_Found you!" Arren shouted happily. Eflower giggled again, before spreading her wings, and flying down. The two raced off happily yelling as they explored the forest together._

_**Flashback Ends**_

As time went by, our feelings became somewhat more, even if we didn't admit it. We couldn't because to the angles, it would be an abomination for us to be together."

Arren sighed, as he looked down. "Eflower's always been real kind. She was an incredible fighter, but she absolutely hate's violence. When she was out on a training mission to go after a flock of bird demons, her sensei wounded a demon which took the form of a golden eagle. He ordered her to finish it, while he went after the other demons in the flock."

Eflower started to speak, her voice soft with sadness. "She looked up tm me with an eye that overflowed with fear. She tried to escape, but the wound was too much for her. So, I did something that no angel would ever consider doing. I took the demon, and healed it. But my sensei caught me, and took us both back to the clan. I was charged with heresy, and my punishment was to have the demon sealed in me.

_**Flashback **_

_Eflower screamed in pain, as the seal took effect. The golden eagle beside her began to vanish, its powers disappearing into her. Her pure white wings turned brown, and her blond hair became black. As the seal finished, her sensei came over her._

"_You are a disgrace. You are now an outcast angel. Leave this place, and never return."_

_Eflower cried, in pain and despair._

_**Flashback Ends**_

"So, what happened next?" Naruto asked, coming over and sitting on the floor. Eflower looked up, a smile on her face.

"Arren found me, crying and alone on the border of the Pikku's camp. He brought me back, and I told him everything. His family agreed to take me in, and made me an unofficial part of the family." Her smile faded. "When the angels found out I was being sheltered, they demanded my execution. The Pikku elders argued for a long time, and Arren and his family were among the few to defend me. Eventually, the elders said that it would go against everything they stood for, so they told the angels that they would protect me, since I was a guest. The angels were furious, and broke off any contact after that."

Arren sighed. "Shortly after, the plague struck. With out the healing powers of the angels, the Pikku fell. E went with us, and we traveled together for several months. It was then that we finally admitted how much we care for each other."

They both smiled at each other, and for a moment, Naruto envisioned it was him and Hinata. He nodded. "So, how did you get separated?"

Arren sighed. "About a year after words, when we were in the Land of Fire, a rogue jounin from Suna attacked. He caused us to be separated."

E nodded. "I ran like Arren's dad told us to, but then I tripped, and fell into a river. By the time I was able to get out of it. I was many miles away. I tried to find them again, but we never crossed paths."

"My dad finished the ninja off, and we looked for two days. But when we didn't find her, my dad said we could get help in Uzu. We found it completely destroyed, and my father snapped." Arren focused on E. "He told me to find you, and lead a new life, one that would restore the uzumaki clan. Then he left for Iwa. I heard he killed himself after assassinating the Tsuchikage."

Eflower put a hand on Arren's arm. "I'm sorry."

Arren smiled and took her hand. Then he sighed. "Now, as to why I am this old."

Naruto perked up, and turned to Arren. He sighed, and placed a hand on his left arm.

"About nine months after me and my dad separated, I ran into a sick man, who had trapped a lesser demon hybrid. It was a cross between a wolf and cheetah."

"You mean Haiya, right?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah." He was just... torturing it. No for a mission, or for revenge. Just because he wanted to. I... I almost killed him. But I didn't. He managed to flee, while I turned to the demon. It was mortally wounded, and there was nothing I could do. E, this is more for your benefit, since Naruto knows this."

He sighed, and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, to reveal a tattoo of a cheetah head in mid snarl, and a wolf head in mid howl.

"He performed a sealing ceremony on me, using his powers. He sealed himself in me to live. But because he was near death, he screwed it up enough that he almost killed me. He would have, if it wasn't for what happened next."

E was shocked, and Naruto's mouth was open. Arren sighed. "As I lay there, I suddenly felt this overwhelming presence. And suddenly, this light came over me, and this voice began to speak. It told me 'because you have done good, and pure deeds you life, and did not choose these circumstances, I will let you live. Besides, I have a purpose for you'."

"Suddenly, I woke up. When I did, I felt this rush in my head. And then the voice spoke again.

"_I have given you both a blessing, and a curse. You have become my champion here on earth. You will be one of the fastest being's alive, but your strength, and some of your youth are forfeit. Now go, and live wisely._"

Arren indicated his body. "My guess, Kami saved me. She gave me this."

Six wings suddenly ripped from the back of his shirt. These were pure white. Naruto looked at them in awe.

Arren sighed, as he retracted the wings. "But in doing so, I lost ten years of my life, physically. That's why I looks so much older."

Eflower stood up, and hugged him. "Arren, I'm sorry. I wish I could have stayed by your side."

Naruto, mean while, did the only logical thing his mind could think of. He had just learned that not only was his cousin in love with an outcast angel jinchuuriki, but was himself, in fact, a six winged angel. Logically, his brain came up with one solution.

He fell back, unconscious.

* * *

**Hey. For those of you reading, I know that this seems like I just stacked the deck in the good guys favor. Angels?**

**Normally, you would be right. Except Arren's power is both a blessing and a curse. While he would be extremely strong in his angel form, because of his human DNA, he becomes extremely wasted after using it. The longer he's in it, the more exhausted he is after wards.** **Too long, and he goes into a coma, or death.**

**Eflower is a full angel, or was. But she's an outcast, she's only two wings, and she doesn't like to fight. She fills more of a medical/love interest roll. So don't worry about them being all powerful OC's. Their not. They have their weakness.**

**Also, sorry if I seem to be concentrating too much on the OC's. Naruto will have the spot light back, soon enough. You all will see what I mean when I bring Link into the picture. You think he's badass now, wait till he has a new weapon, and goes home.**

_A message from my off site beta reader._

**Unknown Person: Hey guys. I'm Leaf Ranger's beta reader off the site. If you all can guess who I am, then I'll tell you what language Angelius is in, and what it means! If you all guess who I am, I'll tell all of you.**

**P.S. I'm going to say anyways, at the end of the story.**

**LR: Hey guys. My friend here wanted to set up a connection, and I sent him my chapter here, to make corrections. Just so you all know I have no idea how the beta bit on the site works. That's why he's not actually listed as my beta. **

**Can someone explain how the beta thing works? Am I just supposed to browse the beta readers, until I find one who would actually want to proof read my work? If so, then I'm an idiot. Anyways, my update speed may slow down a bit, as I have my friend here proof read each chapter. So, sorry to all of you. I'll do my best to update. **

**Also, he set up the challenge. I'm betting most of you, if not all, will be able to figure out who he is. If you do, ttell me in your review, and I'll tell him if you got it right. He'll PM with your prize.**


	6. A Hero's Entrance

**Things are going great, mostly. I've noticed a few of you actually rose to the challenge my beta put out, and all of you who did got it right. Anyway's he's popping up here** **now, so the challenge is over, but the answer/prize will be announced at the end of the fic.** **Not the chapter, but the fic. Anyways, not much happening in the Ranger Lair here, as I've started to call it. I think I may start the reviewer chapter's soon.**

**RS: I like them. I get to hang out with a bunch of people, who aren't as boring as you are.**

**Arashen: Burn.**

**Arren: Nah, that's shouldn't be a problem for him.**

**Naruto: What do you mean by that?**

**Eflower: sigh Here we go again.**

**Arashen and Naruto glance at her in confusion, before LR explodes.**

**LR: YOU LITTLE BRAT! BE GLAD I EVEN LET YOU ON HERE!**

**Loud screaming is heard, before 2****nd**** Unknown Person emerges from the darkness, whipping his hand's together.**

**UP: And that's got him sorted!**

**Naruto and Arashen's confused glances change direction.**

**Arren: D-**

**Up: Yes**

**Arren: W-**

**UP: No**

**Eflower: Hey Allan? Can you please stop doing that? It's-**

**Allan Pike: Kinda Freaky that I know what your going to say before you say it? Well, I did create you.**

**Arren: And we both know that-**

**Allan: Ah, ah, ah. That's between us, okay? **

**LR: Hey Allan! Everyone, this is my beta, and creator of Arren and Eflower, Allan Pike. He's also written a few stories under Naruto, Sonic the Hedgehog, X-overs, and Warriors.**

**RS: REALLY?! THAT'S SO COOL!**

**AP: I think I've gone deaf again?**

**Naruto and Arashen: Again?**

**Arren: Yeah, it's like the tenth time it's happened.**

**AP: So, Leafie, how you been doing?**

**They both nod. **

**LR: You know, I don't know if I like that name. I prefer Ranger, or Leaf Ranger. But Leafie sounds... less intimidating.**

**Arren: Well, I'm afraid Allan is going to stick to it. He's very Naruto-like when it comes to nicknames.**

**Naruto: What do you mean by that?**

**RS: Leafie, Leafie, Leafie.**

**Everyone but LR glances at each other.**

**Arashen: Five**

**Naruto: Four**

**Eflower: Three**

**Arren: Two**

**Arren: One**

**LR: I'LL GET YOU BRAT! (Summons giant dragon, which merges with him, creating a seriously badass suit of armor and chases RS, while everyone else glares at Allan)**

**Allan: No need to glare.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Legend of Zelda. Now excuse me, while I become an only child. FOUR FLAMES INFERNO!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**A Hero's Entrance**

Tsunade glanced around her office at the ninja's gathered there. Things were heating up even more in the village. The four chuunin in front of her had been caught actively discussing leaving the village, and finding Naruto. They had wanted to pledge loyalty to him, and serve him. She sighed.

"You do realize that what you were discussing was considered traitorous, and could be considered an act against Konoha?"

The leader of the group, a man with goggle like glasses and short, spiky brown hair, nodded. "We do. But we think the actions of this village are far worse than ours." The other three nodded.

Tsunade sat back. "Naruto will return soon enough. The reports I have indicated Sasuke Uchiha has almost completed his training."

"When Naruto does return, he will just be treated as badly as before. Maybe worse."

Tsunade shook her head. "There's no denying the foolishness of the civilian's here. But Naruto has dealt with it before. And when he comes back, he will have friends standing by him. Naruto will be better off than he was before."

"Do you mean it?"

Tsunade nodded. "I mean it. I will do whatever it takes to ensure Naruto is happy here when he returns." Inside, she felt a stab of guilt. If anything, the first thing to happen to Naruto would be to fight Sasuke. And according to the reports, Sasuke was not far behind where his brother was before he slaughtered the Uchiha's. She sighed mentally, as she thought about the fight to come. _I can only hope Naruto has gotten just as strong._

She looked up at the four chuunin. "Since nothing actually came of this, I'm putting you all under village arrest, and assigning you all D ranked missions for two months. I'm sorry."

They all bowed their heads. "We understand. You must do what you need to for the village."

With that, they were escorted away by ANBU. When they were gone, Tsunade cursed, and knocked a stack of papers aside. All this trouble, because the villagers couldn't remove their assess from their heads to see the real Naruto. She sighed as she turned back to the window.

_Old man, I don't know how you put up with this_.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Sasuke stood in the dojo of the Uchiha compound. In the two years since he had begun training, he had done little else. Tsunade refused to give him any missions that would allow him to leave the village's walls. So, he had worked around the village, and spent most of his time pouring over the jutsu's that Danzou had provided.

The last Uchiha exited the dojo, and crouched next to the pond near the houses wall. He glanced at his reflection. The Sasuke he saw wasn't much different than the one from two years ago. He now a black short sleeved shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back, and a pair of black pants. He had wrapped his arms in bandages, which covered the storage seals on his arms. On his back, he carried a chokuto sheathed sideways in the back of his belt.

Sasuke sighed, as he sat back, and pulled out another jutsu scroll. There were few left, that he hadn't learned from. Basically, he knew every jutsu this village had that was a clan secret, wasn't on the forbidden scroll, and wasn't a unique jutsu that it's creator refused to teach him. He began to ponder about some of the jutsu's Danzou had given him, like the one he was looking at now. They certainly didn't seem like ones that even Root would know, especially that summoning contract he had signed. But Sasuke refused to give up free power that had been given to him.

_This just means I'll be stronger to fight Itachi. Naruto, I hope you are prepared to meet your father, because I'll be sending you there when you get back._

Suddenly, a ninja appeared next to Sasuke. It was Danzou's errand boy, Sai. The pale skinned youth smiled his weird smile at Sasuke.

"Ready for your kenjutsu session, Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke nodded, as he stood to his feet, and pulled out his sword. "Let's go."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, looking around. He found himself lying on the bed in the hotel room they had rented. He slowly sat up, with the wet rag on his head falling off. He looked at it, then up to see something he wasn't expecting.

Arren and Eflower were sitting in the chair Arren had been sitting in earlier. To be precise, Arren was sitting on the chair, while Eflower was on his lap. The two were holding each other, as they kissed lovingly. Naruto looked at them, his jaw dropping open, and his sunglasses sliding down his nose. Inside, Kyuubi was sniggering.

"**Looks like your cousin is pretty happy. Why don't you leave for a bit, so they can become 'reacquainted' with each other.**"

_You ero, baka kitsune! Shut up about crap like that!_

"**Make me!**"

Naruto just sat there for a moment, then lay back down, and entered his mindscape. He quickly found himself in front of the cage, and looked up at the fox head peering at him through the bars.

"Did you just say make me?"

"**Yeah, so?**"

"That has to be the most childish and stupid comeback that could have ever come out of the mouth of a giant kitsune biju." Naruto said simply.

"**GGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! Just shut up, you stupid, insignificant, mortal worm!**"

Naruto smiled, as he had riled Kyuubi up. It was one of the few things he liked to do, considering all the crap Kyuubi had given him, whether intentional or not.

"Why should I? I control this body, and this mindscape. You... got nothing." Naruto smirked, as he crossed his arms.

Kyuubi suddenly glared at Naruto. "**Do you take some perverse pleasure in torturing me?**"

Naruto glared up at her. "You know what? I do. Besides, if you think this is torture, you've seen nothing. I thought you have access to my memories?"

"**Yes, so-?**"

"So maybe you should take a look at all the memories before you woke up. All the memories of loneliness, and fear, and frustration, and utter despair I went through. After you've seen, and lived the life I've had, then come talk to me about torture. Until then, shut your damn muzzle, biju!"

With that, Naruto turned and walked off, leaving Kyuubi standing there, slightly shocked. Never had Naruto talked to her like that. She knew the village hated him, but still, it couldn't have been that bad, could it? On a whim, she called up his memories, and began to go through them.

_Naruto, only five and alone, stood outside a house, watching a family laugh and play together. The rain and wind continued to pour down on him, while the family was safe, warm, and happy. He brushed away the tears mingling with the rain, and walked back to the box in the alley he was living in._

_Naruto, now seven, hid by a tree, watching a father and son play catch. The boy caught a difficult throw, and the dad smiled._

"_That's my boy!" He hugged his son, while Naruto watched, wishing he knew what it was like to have someone proud of him._

_Naruto, now nine and in the Academy, watched from the Academy swing as the parents came and picked up their kids. One boy, who had gotten a paper cut, held his finger to his mom, who kissed it better. Naruto looked at the bruises and faint scars that hadn't yet healed from his "sparring" match against an older Academy student. He slowly placed his arms around himself, imagining that it was his mom holding him, and whispering that everything would be okay. Tears began to leak down his face, as he looked up at the sky._

"_Mom, what happened? Didn't you want me?"_

Kyuubi stopped, and lay down. She huffed in annoyance.

"**That just made him stronger, made him ready for what life held.**"

But deep inside her soul, Kyuubi felt a twinge of regret and sorrow.

Naruto opened his eyes, to see Arren and Eflower snuggling, but not kissing anymore. He "groaned" to get their attention, as he sat up. Eflower slid out of Arren's lap, and came over.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah. I had a little chat with my tenant." Naruto's eyes widened as he realized that he just let slip his biggest secret.

When Eflower didn't respond, Naruto looked over at Arren. "You told her, didn't you?"

Arren shrugged. "I thought she deserved to know."

Eflower smiled, as she took Naruto's hand. "Don't worry. This just means we all have something in common. Now, if you were an angel too, we would practically be related."

Naruto smiled, as he stood and stretched. He glance out the window, surprised to see it was all ready evening. He turned to the others.

"Any one else hungry? I've got a craving fro some ramen, and maybe some dango afterwards."

Arren smiled, while Eflower looked curious. "Ramen? What's that?"

Naruto face planted in the ground. His muffled voice came up from his position. "Please, don't tell me in all the years you've been traveling, that you have never, EVER, tasted ramen?"

Arren smiled down at him. "Well, ramen is not high on the angel food list."

Naruto sighed as he rolled over, and leapt to his feet. "Then, let's remedy the situation."

Arren pulled Eflower close, and they walked out behind Naruto.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In a deserted cave, several leagues away, nine figures phased into existence. They were insubstantial, nothing more than phantoms, and yet, they looked at each other. One of them, with spiky hair, and eyes that were rings around the pupils, began to speak.

"What is the update on the jinchuuriki's?"

A with a almost completely black eyes spoke. "We are still tracking the Nibi."

"Yeah, she's a fing pain in the neck to find."

A squat, bulky man spoke next. "We are making plans for Shukaku. He has recently been made Kazekage of Suna, which makes it that much harder to get at him."

"Yeah, but it will be a chance to show off my art, uhn." Said a tall looking man with one eye visible, and a long ponytail. (A/N: What is with that? Why does he say that?)

Lastly, a tall man with red eyes with three tomoes around the pupil spoke. "We are having trouble tracking the Kyuubi, but we have found the Yonbi, and are moving in to trap it."

The first figure nodded. "Very well. I will extend our resources into finding the Kyuubi. The rest of you, continue your present tasks."

The figures disappeared. In the Land of Earth, the tall figure with the red eyes opened them. He had a Konoha headband with a slash on it around his forehead, and raven black hair that was slightly long. Itachi Uchiha, the slaughterer of the Uchiha clan, looked at his partner. Kisame Hoshigaki, missing nin from Kiri, and one of the Seven Swrodsman, was taller, with blue, somewhat scaly skin, and gills on his cheeks. He had short, blue hair that was spiky, and stood straight up. His eyes were small, with almost black pinpricks for pupils. He picked up a long, heavy blade wrapped in bandages.

"How much longer do we keep up this charade? Going after these jinchuuriki's is really a pain."

Itachi, in an almost completely emotionless voice, said "Until they catch on to us, or they go after Naruto themselves. Until then, we keep up this... 'charade'."

Kisame sighed, as he looked to the east, where the tracks for the Yonbi led. "Well, time to get to work."

The two missing ninja headed off into the night covered forest.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Crouched down near a tree, Yugito Nii panted, as she looked around. There were no signs of her attackers, the men in black cloaks. She sighed, as she settled down, allowing the biju cat in her to control her senses, and enhancing them.

She was complete cut off from the Raikage, and other Kumo ninja. The two men had attacked her over a month ago, and kept trailing her, forcing her southward, away from friendly forces. She looked over her shoulder, checking the forest.

_I can't keep this up forever. I need help._

"**Well, there is always that one jinchuuriki we heard about.**"

_You mean the "Black Fox"?_

"**Exactly. He can help.**"

Yugito looked back over her shoulder, then moved out, now moving south and fast.

_He was from Konoha, right?_

"**That's what the rumors were. But, I don't think he's there anymore.** **I think he's in the Land of Rivers.**"

_How do you know?_

"**I can somewhat sense other biju's in the world. It feels like Kyuubi is somewhere to the southeast. I would guess Land of Rivers, or Suna.**"

_There that's where we'll go. _With that, Yugito headed off.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

About a week later, Naruto, Arren, and Eflower were making their way through Suna, and towards Bird Country. Naruto was somewhat lost in thought, about his tenant. Ever since their argument, Kyuubi had become somewhat quieter. She would still roar and gripe, but not as much anymore. Naruto just shook his head, and turned back to look at his cousin.

_Ye, just like always._ In the week since Eflower had joined them, the two of them were hardly separated, and then for no more than how long it took for one of them to take a shower. Naruto smiled, as he imagined himself, and a certain lavender eyed kunoichi being the same way. Then he shook his head of the thoughts.

_Remember, even if I am returning home, there's no guarantee her dad would even let us be together. _After thinking for a second, he smiled. _But it's still nice to hope._

Naruto was a bout to call back to them to hurry up, when some unknown force became known to him. He stopped, and quickly scanned around. Behind him, Arren and Eflower were doing the same.

"What is it? Arren?" Eflower whispered to him.

"I don't know. It doesn't feel like anything I've experienced before."

In Naruto's head, Kyuubi was sitting up. "**This power feels familiar, but... it's different from what I felt all those years ago.**"

They continued to look around, as the power of the unseen force began to increase. Suddenly, the sky darkened, and the sky began to look like it was ripping apart in one place. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and a huge, white opening appeared in the sky. The trio jumped back, as a figure fell from it.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The figure yelled, before crashing into the ground. Naruto drew his regular katana, and rushed forward. Arren's nature armor formed around him as he follwed Naruto. Eflower concentrated, and a straight bladed sword appeared in her right hand, while a voice echoed in her head.

"**Be careful, young one. That power was greater than mine.**"

Naruto appeared on the edge of a crater, and looked down at a figure in the center of it. The figure was stirring, and mumbling under his breath.

"Don't even give me a warning. They just tell me I'm needed, give me back the Master Sword, and drop me in the middle of no where. Not only that, but they drop me from the sky! This is the last time I go off saving the world again."

The figure got to its feet, dusting off the green tunic and cream colored pants he was wearing. His hands were covered in brown gauntlets, with a leather bracer over the left arm. Under the tunic was a shirt of chainmail, and then a long sleeved shirt that matched the pants. He had on brown, soft leather boots. Over his spiky, dirty blond hair was a strange looking green hat, which hung over the four pointed metal shield he wore on his back. A blue sword hilt poked out behind the upper left corner of his shield. A blue and gold trimmed scabbard poked out the lower right corner.

The figure finished wiping himself off, and began to look around. "Where is this? It looks like Gerudo Desert."

"It's called the Land of Winds." Naruto said. The figure spun around, drawing his sword with his left hand, and his shield with the right. Naruto found himself looking into blue eyes, just as vivid as his. The man's eyes darted from Naruto, to Arren, to Eflower, then back to Naruto.

"Okay. This is interesting." The figure said, as he slowly edged back. Naruto tilted his head.

"I've never seen a shield or sword like that before. Where are you from? That way, we can know who's invading."

The man's eyes widened. "Invading? Yeah right. I'm not entirely here by choice."

Arren slowly eased out of his stance. "Maybe we should talk. It seems we're getting off on the wrong foot."

Naruto glanced at Arren. "You do remember this guy fell from the sky, right? With the whole sky darkening, and vortex in the sky?"

Arren nodded. "Yeah, but I think he would have attacked us by now if he was a threat." He turned to the man, who had gotten out of the crater, n the opposite side. "I'm Arren Pikku Uzumaki, and this is my cousin, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. And this is my girlfriend, Eflower Angelius."

The man looked at each of them again, and eased out of his stance, but kept his weapons in hand. "My names Link. Just Link."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Link? That's it?"

Link nodded. "Yeah. That's it."

"Well, Link, care to explain what the whole falling from the sky bit was about?"

Link sighed. "If you promise not to kill me, or call me crazy. Besides, I think I need your guy's help, since I have no idea where I'm from. But let's get comfortable first."

With that, the four of the all warily sheathed their weapons and dispelled their armor, for those who had some. They gathered away from the crater, and sat down. Link began his tale.

(A/N: This is Twilight Princess version Link)

"Where I come from, there is a tale about a hero, a legendary hero who saved our land from being overrun by an evil king, who wielded dark magic. He utilized an ancient and powerful sword, called the 'Master Sword'. This is that blade." He slowly unsheathed it, and held it up for them to see. It was a three foot long blade, which shined in the sunlight. Near the hilt, the blade bulged slightly. On the bulge section was an emblem of three golden triangles, which formed into one larger triangle. The entire hilt was blue, with a pair of up swept wing like guards. The hilt was blue, with green stripes cris-crossing it. A blue pommel stone completed the half foot long hilt.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "So, you wield the sword of this ancient hero?"

Link sighed. "Well, to be more precise, I'm a reincarnation of that hero. You see, he defeated the evil king, and then returned back to his home. The evil king was sealed away in an alternate realm, which was a shadow version of my home land, Hyrule. There, he waited, until he was able to grow strong again. Then, using a minion whose body he resided in, he launched a new attack on my home. I was called forth to end this evil, by the three goddess who created out land."

He drew the triangle emblem on his sword into the sand, then pointed to each triangle. "Din the goddess of Power, Faorore(?), the goddess of Courage, and Naryu, the goddess of Wisdom. They created Hyrule, and everything, and everyone in it. Their power resides in an artifact that looks exactly like this, called the Triforce. Through out history, there were those who were called upon to wield each goddess power. I am the one who carries the power of Faorore. The evil king of old, Ganondorf, wields the power of Din. And the ruler of Hyrule, Princess Zelda, wields the power of Naryu."

Link leaned back against a rock jutting out of the sand. "I was accompanied by an imp from the alternate realm, who was banished. As it turned out, she was the transformed Princess of the Twilight Realm. She helped me gather ancient artifacts to invade the Twilight realm, end Ganondorf's puppet, then return to Hyrule, free Zelda, and finish Ganondorf. Afterwards, I put up my sword, and expected to be able to live in peace. Until a few days ago. The goddess have called me out again, but I don't know why they sent me here."

Naruto sniggered. "You know, for ultra powerful goddess, they seem pretty stupid. Giving the bad guy power, and not telling their hero what he's up to. Not real bright."

Link sighed. "It's true. Sometimes, it seems real annoying. I get caught up in something I know nothing about."

Naruto nodded, then looked at the master sword. "Hey, can I see that for a second? I'll let you see my sword here." Naruto unsheathed his regular katana, and held it out to Link. The green clad hero nodded, and held out the hilt of the Master Sword, but declined to see the katana. Naruto barely grasped the Master Sword, when agonizing pain shot through him. He fell back, releasing the sword, but his other hand clenched the katana. The last thing he heard before he became unconscious was an agonized howl in his mind. Then all was darkness.

Link grabbed the Master Sword, and pulled it away, while Eflower knelt next to Naruto, and began checking him over. Link found himself yanked up by Arren.

"What did you do to my cousin?!"

"I don't know! The Master Sword shouldn't have acted like that, unless he was evil!"

Arren put link down. "Naruto's not evil, but I can't say the same for his tenant."

Link looked up in surprise. "Huh?"

"Tell you later. E, how is he?"

"He's fine, other than being unconscious. But something weird is happening with the Kyuubi's chakra. It feels like it's fluctuating." She ran her hand over the seal, her hand glowing with the green chakra of a diagnostic jutsu. Suddenly, the red chakra of Kyuubi, along with a strange yellow energy, emerged from the seal, and covered the black katana in Naruto's left hand. The blade began to fluctuate, and morph, before the astonished eyes of those watching. When it was done, they gapsed in amazement. Link studied the katana, and then his sword.

"How is this possible?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto slowly awoke, finding himself in his mindscape. He slowly stood up, and looked around. Normally, the sewer walls would gave him a bad vibe, as if they were infused with Kyuubi's evil. But Naruto felt nothing now, as he wandered the halls. He came to the giant room with the bars, expecting to see the giant she kitsune glaring at him. But there was no one there.

"Kyuubi? Hey, Kyuubi?! BAKA KITSUNE!" Naruto yelled. His voice echoed through the empty cage. But just as he turned to leave, he heard something he wasn't expecting. There was a small sniffle from inside the cage, like someone was crying. He turned back around, but saw nothing.

"Kyuubi? You in there?" Naruto slowly entered the cage, his eye's darting around in case this was a trap. But nothing happened, until he was a distance into the cage. Suddenly, he came across a huddled figure.

It was a girl, roughly Naruto's age. She lay on the ground, supporting herslef with one arm, while her other one wiped tears from her face. She was wearing a red kimono, with a gold emblem of a fox with nine tails on it. She had long red hair, which fell to her shoulders. Naruto slowly approached her.

"Hello? Who are you?"

"The girl stiffened, and tried to keep her face away from Naruto. But he came around in front of her, and knelt down. He found himself looking into a tear stained face, with crimson eyes that had black slits for pupils. Whisker marks similar to Naruto's adorned her face. It all clicked in Naruto's head.

"Kyuubi." He whispered.

Kyuubi looked up at him, and whimpered. "Please, kill me now."

* * *

**LR: Ooooooooh, I'm evil, aren't I? I left you with two cliffhangers! Muahahahahahahahahahahah!**

**Arashen: You're not the real Leaf Ranger! What did you do with him? (Starts battling evil Leaf Ranger)**

**Real LR: What's happening?**

**Naruto: Arashen is battling an evil version of yourself.**

**LR: You mean he got out? Dang, I thought the psych ward had him locked up.**

**RS is rolled in. She's in a wheelchair, and her whole body is covered in casts.**

**LR: Did we learn our lesson?**

**RS: mumbles**

**LR: That's what I thought.**

**Allan: Y-**

**Arren and Eflower: Don't even think about it!**

**Allan: Dang, I forgot it works both ways.**

**Please review. If you think the author bits were too long, let me know, and me and Allan will cut it down a bit.**


	7. New Friend, New Weapon

**Well, evil Leaf Ranger is back in the psyche ward, so we shouldn't have any more problems from him.**

**Arashen: That was one of my hardest fights ever.**

**LR: You did me proud. For that, I'll grant you one wish for Konoha High.**

**Naruto: No fair! I helped!**

**Allan: But Arashen was the one who did the fighting, and struck the last blow.**

**Arren: Yeah. Besides, everything ends up going mostly your way in these stories. Remember?**

**Naruto: Fine. **

**Link: Hello? Is this the Ranger Lair?**

**LR: Link! You made it. Come on in pal.**

**RS: (Still in casts, but face is free) Link? As in Legend of Zelda Link?**

**Link: I guess.**

**RS: Cool! My brother told me you are the toughest and best game hero out there!**

**Link: No Im not.**

**LR: Dude, anyone having to put up with going through all those annoying temples is the best of the best. Anyways, pull up a chair, we're about to begin the next chapter.**

Disclaimer: Sorry, no chaos this time. I don't own Naruto, anything related to Naruto canon, Link or anything related to Legend of Zelda games and such, or the OC's. They belong to Allan Pike, so give him a PM if you like them.

* * *

**New Friend, New Weapon**

_Last time_

"_Kyuubi? You in there?" Naruto slowly entered the cage, his eye's darting around in case of a trap. Suddenly, he came across a huddled figure._

_It was a girl, roughly Naruto's age_**. **_She lay on the ground, supporting herself with one arm, while her other one wiped tears from her face._

"_Hello? Who are you?"_

_The girl stiffened, and tried to keep her face away from Naruto. But he came around, and knelt down in front of her. He found himself looking into a tear stained face, with crimson eyes that had black slits for pupils. Whisker marks like Naruto's adorned her face. It all clicked in Naruto's head._

"_Kyuubi." He whispered._

_Kyuubi looked at him, and whimpered. "Please, kill me now."_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto reeled back, as if he had been struck. He looked at the girl in front of him in utter amazement. This was Kyuubi? This was the giant nine tailed kitsune who had caused him such grief through his life. It couldn't be. He looked around.

"I'm not going to fall for this, Kyuubi! Where are you?!"

The girl sobbed, as she looked at the ground, tears staining the floor. "Kit... it is me." She managed to say through her sobs. Naruto looked down at her.

"Kyuubi? That really is you, isn't it?"

She just sobbed in response. Naruto just gaped at her in amazement. "What the heck is going on here?"

Kyuubi managed to control her crying enough to look up at him. "What are you waiting for? Do it!"

Naruto shook his head in confusion. "Do what?"

"Kill me! Take your revenge for all I've done!" Kyuubi burst into fresh tears, and her arm gave way. But as she fell, she felt arms grab her, and pull her up. She looked up to see Naruto holding her, while he glanced around. Finally, he made a chair appear, and pulled her over to it. He sat her down in it, and stepped back.

"I'm not doing anything until we figure out what the heck is going on here. Got it?" He said this a little harshly, and Kyuubi flinched, before nodding. Naruto sighed, as he took a deep breath.

"All right. Last thing I remember was taking that sword, the Master Sword, from Link's hand. Then I'm hit by agonizing pain. Before I blacked out, I heard you howl in pain. What happened? And what is with this form?"

Kyuubi snuffled a bit. "I'm not sure. I was sleeping, when I suddenly felt this pain shoot through me. It felt like when your father was sealing me in you, because I felt like I was being ripped apart. I thought I was going to die. And then it stopped. When I came to my senses, I felt... I felt... horrible. I saw the cage, and I saw my form, and I was just... horrified all of a sudden. I felt so horrible, because of everything that happened to me. I turned into this form, and I thought I would feel better. But the memories just kept bombarding me."

She started to shake, and slowly wrapped her arms around herself. "I... I attacked Konoha because I was bored. Because I wanted to have some fun, and cause bloodshed and mayhem. Now, I... I hate myself. I HATE MYSELF!" She suddenly shouted, causing Naruto to jump back. She leaned forward, and started rocking back and forth.

"Your dad... and all those people I killed. They didn't have to die. They didn't need to. And then all those who lost a love one. Because of me. Because I'm evil. All that suffering, for my amusement. All your suffering, because of my actions."

She looked up at him. "That's why I want you to kill me. End my life. Take your revenge, and help me to begin to atone for what I've done." She moved her hands so she could look at them, while they were shaking. She just stared at them, waiting to feel that blade enter her, waiting for her end. And then she felt Naruto's hand on her shoulder.

"Kyuubi, I have no idea what is going on. But right now, something big has happened. Until we sort it out, we can't make any rash decisions. If I do this, if I kill you, I can't take that decision back. If this had been any other time, I would have gladly killed you. But... I just can't right now."

Kyuubi looked up at him, surprise written across her face. Naruto sighed. "I want to get all the facts straight. I'm going to talk to Link about what happened, provided it wasn't some type of trap. After we've figured out what is going on, we'll make a decision. Okay?"

Kyuubi slowly nodded, and Naruto pulled his hand back. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've some business to attend to."

He turned and headed to the cage door, when a small voice echoed behind him.

"Thank you, Naruto-sama." Naruto turned, to see Kyuubi sitting in the chair, her head bowed. Naruto sighed, as he left the cage door.

_Well, somebody has some explaining to do._ Naruto said, as he reached out towards his physical body. With a sigh of relief, he found that his body was all ready set for him to regain consciousness. Which he did.

Naruto groaned as he sat up. Almost immediately, Arren was beside him.

"Naruto! You okay?"

Naruto nodded slowly. "I'm fine, maybe a little stiff, but that's nothing compared to what Kyuubi's going through." He looked at Link, who was a short distance away, the Master Sword back in it's sheathe. Link held back, kept at bay by the glares Arren kept sending him. Eflower came and knelt next to Naruto, and handed him a canteen of water. He nodded his head in thanks, and took a mouthful.

After swallowing, he turned back to Link. "What happened? What did your sword do to me?"

Link looked a little sheepish, and curious at the same time. "Well, the Master Sword is known as 'evils bane'. Basically, no one of a pure evil nature can actually touch the blade, without dying. When you touched it, I guess it sensed evil in you, so it reacted."

Naruto looked down for a moment, then looked back at Link, who had cocked his head. "Whose Kyuubi, by the way?"

Naruto sighed. "Well, you need to know, if you're going to help me solve what's going on. When I was born, a giant nine tailed kitsune biju named Kyuubi attacked my home. My father, the leader of the village, used a technique to seal Kyuubi inside of me. She was the evil in me, that the sword detected, and tried to destroy."

Arren glanced at him in surprise. "Tried?"

Naruto nodded. "Tried. When I finally found her, she had taken a human form. She was bawling her eyes out, and begged me to kill her for all she had done. She told me that whatever happened to us had made her feel like she was being ripped in half."

He turned to Link. "Any thoughts as to why she's not dead, and is so different from her usual 'I'll break free, eat you, and kill everyone you know' routine?"

Link shrugged. "She must not have been entirely evil. Somewhere in her, there must be a enough of a good nature to sustain her."

Naruto's eyes widened. "So what you're telling me is..."

Link smiled. "The Master Sword purified the evil nature of this 'Kyuubi', but didn't kill her. There's not an evil bone left in her body."

Naruto turned inward. _You hear that Kyuubi?_

There was silence, before Kyuubi's voice came through. It was softer then before, and there was still a lot of despair in it. "_Yes, I heard. But it doesn't change my actions from before. I still committed horrible crimes._"

Naruto sighed. "Well, Kyuubi wasn't cheered up by that. She still thinks I should kill her."

"Why don't you?" Link asked. Both Arren and Eflower glanced uneasily at him. Naruto sighed.

"Normally, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. But you didn't see her. There was absolute regret, and remorse in her eyes. She was so horrified by what she had done, even her true form disgusted her. I... I just don't know what to do."

Eflower placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I think that we should let Kyuubi live. She has done truly horrible things in the past. But now, she has a chance to do good things through you. Her death will not be enough to even begin to cover what she has done. Even helping you, it my not be enough to earn her forgiveness. But it will be a start."

Arren nodded. "Makes sense, cuz. I don't thin you could kill in cold blood like that anyways."

Naruto turned back inward to Kyuubi.

_Kyuubi, I can't make this decision. This is your life, so it should be your decision._

Kyuubi was silent for several minutes. Finally she spoke up. "_Naruto-sama, while I truly feel that my life should be ended, Eflower has a valid point. If in small way, me helping you can aid in making up for my crimes, then I will. For now, I'll will give you all the help I can._"

Naruto nodded mentally. _Very well. I have one request though. Stop with the sama bit. It's annoying._

Kyuubi giggled a bit, while Naruto turned his mind back outward. "Kyuubi says she wants to help me now."

They all nodded, as Naruto stood up and stretched. He glanced down at his left hand. "Hey, where's my sword? I remember it still being in my hand when I lost consciousness."

Eflower and Link suddenly seemed a little nervous, while Arren just sighed, and pointed to the ground near where Naruto had been laying. Naruto turned, and his mouth fell open as he looked upon the sword.

Before, it had been a regular, black cloth wrapped, ninja katana. Not anymore. The sword was still a katana, but unlike any seen before in the Elemental Nations. The blade looked like it had been forged from pure silver, and gleamed in the sunlight. Down near the hilt, the Triforce Emblem could be seen just above the hilt guard. The hilt guard was still round, but there were now two wing guards that swept up above the curved edge, and below the cutting edge. The entire hilt was blue steel, with green cloth wrapped around the hilt, to give the wielder a better grip. Naruto looked at it, then back at the Master Sword in Link's sheathe.

"What... what happened?"

Arren shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. After we got the Master Sword away from you, Kyuubi's chakra, along with some yellow energy leaked out, and surround the blade. Then it turned into that."

Link put in his two cents. "The extra energy is similar to that which resides in the Master Sword. I think it was residual energy from when it attacked... Kyuubi, right? Her energy began to transform the blade, and the Master Sword's energy influenced the transformation. I guess you now have your own version of the Master Sword."

Naruto slowly reached out, and after a moments hesitation, picked it up. Sudden warmth spread through his arm, and he felt like the blade was a missing part of him. He slowly held it up, admiring how the sunlight played on the blade. Then, he noticed another symbol on the opposite side of the blade from the Triforce symbol. It was a fox head that looked like it was howling. Naruto looked at it, and gently touched it.

"This blade... it feels so right in my hands. But, how?"

Link shrugged. "I felt the same with the Master Sword, even though I had never touched it before in my life. I guess the same holds true for you with this version."

Naruto nodded, then he looked for the sheathe to the sword. His eyes finally found a molten mess that Arren had been trying to hide.

"So, it destroyed the scabbard?" As Arren nodded, Naruto shrugged. "Well, it gives me an excuse to practice something my dad was famous for. But first, let's find somewhere to make camp."

A few hours later, they were near the border with the Land of Fire, and had set up camp amongst the trees. Arren, Eflower, and Link were all chatting, while Naruto sat by himself with a ink bottle and brush. He pulled his coat off, and dipped the pen into the ink bottle. He slowly began to draw a seal on his left forearm. After thirty minutes of concentration, he sealed the ink bottle up, and laid the brush aside. On his forearm was a weapon seal, meant for storing weapons on the body. It was perfect for assassination missions, when weapons would be confiscated and such. Naruto watched it dry, and when it had, he lifted his new weapon up. He held it over the seal, and closed his eyes.

_Here goes nothing. _He concentrated chakra into the seal, and in a puff, the sword disappeared into the seal. Naruto smiled, and then focused chakra into the seal again. The sword reappeared in perfect shape. Naruto smiled, sealed it away again, and then covered his left forearm in bandages, before pulling his coat on again. He quickly joined the others.

Arren smiled up at him. "All done?"

Naruto nodded, and Link gave him a curious look. "What did you do exactly?"

Naruto smiled, as he began to explain. "Well, we don't have this 'magic' of your world. Instead, we have an energy in us called chakra. Not everyone can use it. But ninja's like us can mold chakra, and using handsigns, we perform various abilities and techniques that we call jutsu's. What I did was called a sealing jutsu, and it allows somebody to seal anything with in ink seal. See?"

Naruto pulled up his left coat sleeved, and nudged the bandages aside enough to show the seal. Link nodded.

"Interesting. It's sorta like this pouch I have hidden under my shield." Link reached back there, and pulled out a bow.

(A/N: This is how I think Link carries around his huge freaking arsenal of weaponry)

He set it down, and began to pull more objects out. A massive, spike studded, iron ball with chain, a bag of bombs, a pair of strange clawed gauntlets, a white and green boomerang, and several other weapons and devices. Eflower and Naruto just stared at the array of weapons, while Arren whistled in admiration. Finally Naruto was able to speak.

"Dude, there is this girl back in Konoha who is going to fall in love with you. She loves weapons."

Link shook his head. "Sorry, I'm all ready taken." Link pulled out a picture from a different pouch. It showed him standing next to a girl about his age with short, dirty blond hair. She wore a white, sleeveless blouse, and brown pants that ended below her knees. She had an incredible smile, and her green eyes were alight with happiness.

Eflower smiled at the picture. "She looks nice. What's her name?"

"Ilia. She's the daughter of the chief of our village, and has been my best friend since we were little." Link put the picture away.

Naruto nodded. "Well, I'd still be careful. I can think of one or two girls who will still come after you in Konoha. If you want to come with us."

Link shrugged. "Why not? I don't have anywhere else to go, and if I wasn't supposed to stay with you guys, I don't think I would have crashed near you."

Arren smiled. "Great! Then you can train with us. I'd love to see what you can do with that sword of yours."

Link smirked. "Oh, I can do plenty with it. What about you?"

Arren sent him a smirk back. "I may not carry a blade, but I've got a few tricks of my own."

Naruto sighed. "All right. The three of us will spar, but not till tomorrow. I'm still feeling off from earlier, and I think Kyuubi is too." He sighed as he leaned back against a tree, and closed his eyes. In his mind, Kyuubi reassured him.

"_Don't worry about me. I'll be fine._" Kyuubi reassured him. But her voice did sound weaker than it should have been. Naruto went into his mindscape, and found her in the cage still. He looked around, and shook his head.

"If we're going to be working together, you'll need better living conditions. With a simple thought, the inside of the cage disappeared, and reappeared as an apartment. It had three rooms, and simple furniture. He looked over at Kyuubi, who was still a fifteen year old girl.

"Why do you look like that?"

"Because it's how old you are. Normally, I can take whatever age or form I want, but because of the seal, I'm forced to look the same aga as you are." She said this, while her eye's drooped a bit, and she leaned against a wall. Naruto came over.

"You're not okay, are you?"

Kyuubi slowly shook her head. "The transformation took a lot out of me. I'll be back to normal in a few days, but I lost a lot of power."

Naruto gently guided her over to one of the rooms, and laid her on the bed inside. "Rest. If we're going to be working together, I want you in your best shape."

Kyuubi looked up at him. "Why are you being so considerate of me? I'm nothing but your servant now."

Naruto shook his head. "No. I don't want a servant, Kyuubi. I want a comrade in arms, an ally who will always have my back."

Kyuubi slowly nodded. "Then that is what I'll be. Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto gave her a small smile. "When you're ready, go ahead and decorate how you want. For now, just rest." He couldn't understand how he was able to act so easily around her. By all rights, he should still be furious, and hate her. But seeing how she had acted earlier, and seeing her now, sleeping peacefully, Naruto couldn't help but just want to help her. Treat her better. Before he could stop himself, he whispered. "Sleep tight, nee-chan."

He suddenly stiffened, and disappeared, returning to reality. _Nee-chan? Why did I call her that? She's not related to me. She's Kyuubi! _He shook his head, and slowly banished his thoughts, slipping into a light nap.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_Six Months Later_

Danzou was not happy. Not happy at all. When he saw the Kyuubi jinchuuriki leave, he felt sure it would be for the last time. But Orochimaru's minions had failed to secure him. Now, the brat was out there, waiting to return home. Danzou had been furious to hear this from the Hokage, but had kept it behind a mask of indifference.

Now, over two years later, he sat in his office, thinking over his situation. Shortly after he had learned that Naruto was still alive, Orochimaru had sent him a report, stating that the boy was to be left alone. He would be useful in strengthening Sasuke. Sasuke would kill the boy, and gain the Mangekyou Sharingan, and be that much more powerful.

Danzou sighed, as he looked over a report given to him by Sai. Sasuke had returned the last of the "special jutsu's" the Root had given him. In fact, they were jutsu's from Orochimaru, who wanted Sasuke to know them before he took over the boy's body. With the return of the last scroll, that could only mean one thing.

_He's done. _Danzou sighed, as he realized that this meant the return of the jinchuuriki. This would certainly cause a stir in Konoha. Almost the entire ninja population were in a near state of mutiny since Naruto's banishment. The civilian population had almost revolted against the Hokage, who had barely punished those few ninja's who had been caught defacing the Uchiha district, and a few public places. Something like Naruto's return very well could send Konoha into the flames of civil war.

_Except for the part where Sasuke destroys the jinchuuriki._ Danzou smiled at the thought. Perhaps he was blowing things out of proportion. Naruto couldn't be that much stronger. And even if he was, there was no way he could defeat Sasuke now.

Danzou smiled as he leaned back in his chair. What was he so upset about? He now realized he had been worried about nothing.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hinata easily struck the target points on the dummy, before delivering a final blow which dented the very center of the dummy's chest. She stepped back, as she examined her work. In real combat, the shinobi on the other side of her strikes would have been on the ground, severely wounded, or dead. She nodded in satisfaction, before she felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. She went over to a bench ,and picked up a towel and a cup of soothing herbal tea.

In the two and a half years since Naruto had left, Hinata had continued to train, following her new resolve to be as strong as possible. With her increase in abilities came an increase in confidence. She was still kind, and quiet, but she was no longer the timid mouse of before. She had decimated her opponents in her third chuunin exams, and came in second in the final rounds, earning her spot as a chuunin of Konoha. She had surpassed almost every member of the Hyuuga clan, except for her father and cousin Neji, who was now a jounin. If anything, she was the ideal candidate for heiress of the clan.

She tossed aside her towel, and picked up her jacket. She still wore the same type of pants, but now she wore a sleeveless black kunoichi top, with a short sleeved fishnet shirt over it. She had also grown her hair long, and it reached to the mid of her back. Her jacket was more body conforming than her old one, and was a mixture of lavender and whit, with no fur on the collar or wrists. She pulled it on, but left it open, as she walked out of the dojo. She was going to meet Kiba and Shino to train for a while. After Naruto left, and with Sasuke on village arrest, the remaining genin found themselves often partnered up with whoever was available. In time, the teams deteriorated, especially when they became chuunin. But she still found time to train with her friends and former teammates.

She left the estate, and slipped on a pair of black shinobi sandals, before exiting the gate. Almost as soon as she had, a voice called out to her.

"Hinata!" The lavender eyed kunoichi turned to see Sakura running up to her. Sakura had really matured over the years as well. She was now a strong medic ninja, who didn't let anyone or anything but herself influence her. She wore a red vest shirt, black mini shorts under an even shorter skirt, and thigh reaching black boots with open toes. A pair of bands covered her elbows. Her pink hair was shorter than before, and she wore a red clothed headband on top of her head, like she did as a genin. Thanks to Tsunade's training, Sakura was the third best medic in Konoha, and one of the strongest as well.

Sakura came over, a huge smile on her face. "Hinata, have you heard?"

"Heard what, Sakura?"

"Well, Sasuke finished his training. You know what that means?!" Sakura's face was beaming.

Hinata just stood there, her eyes wide in surprise. "T-that means... that means..." Hinata couldn't even finish her sentence.

Sakura smiled. "It means Naruto's coming home!" Upon hearing those words, Hinata staggered back against the wall around the Hyuuga estate.

"He's... he's coming home." She whispered. Her face showed the absolute shock she felt at this statement. Her crush, no, the boy she was in love with, would finally be able to come home. In her mind, there was only one thing she could do. For the first time in thirty months, Hinata fainted, due to Naruto related events.

Sakura managed to catch her as she pitched forward. She smiled at the reaction of her friend.

"Glad to see some things never change."

(A/N: I know I just got finished saying how strong she was, but give me a break. I would think hearing that Naruto is coming home would knock her out, no matter how strong she was)

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Many miles away, just inside the border of the Land of Fire, a massive spar was under way.

Naruto leapt to one side, as Link swung down from an overhead strike. At that moment, Arren, fully armored, launched his own attack at Link. The Hylian hero dodged to one side, continued to roll around Arren, and leapt up, letting out a roar as he swung his blade in mid air. His wooden replica of the Master Sword missed by centimeters, as Arren rolled forward, away from the Back Slice attack.

Naruto swung around, holding twin practice blades in his hands. His left sword whistled over Link's head, while the right hand sword smashed against the Hylian shield. Link shoved at Naruto, knocking him back. Arren finished a set of handsigns.

"**Pine Needle Senbon Jutsu!**" Hundreds of pine needles arose from the ground, and launched at Link. He immediately, crouched, his shield held out front, and his 'blade' held behind him. It glowed, and with a yell, he spun, releasing a wave of energy which knocked all the pine needles back. Link finished the Great Spin attack, and stood at the ready, panting. Naruto wasn't panting as hard, but he was still panting. Arren wasn't though, because of the high endurance given to him by Haiya, his biju. The three of them smiled at each other, and dropped their stances.

"That was a great workout!" Naruto said, as he held both his swords in one hand, and wiped his forehead with the other. Arren nodded, as he released his armor. Link dropped the wooden sword, and put his shield on his back.

(A/N: I would love to know how he holds his shield back, there, and is able to draw it for combat. It's freaking cool)

The made their way to their camp, where Eflower was busy brewing some tea. She looked them over as they returned.

"Ahh, good. No injuries this time. I would hate to patch you up again like last time, Naruto."

A embarrassed blush crossed his face. "Hey, don't blame me because your boyfriend couldn't hold back his shield bash. If it wasn't for Kyuubi, I would still be in a cast!"

Kyuubi's voice echoes in his head. "_Glad I could help, Naruto._"

The blond jinchuuriki smiled. In the six months since Kyuubi's transformation, the two had begun to talk, and slowly, a new relationship was formed. They had started out as comrades, but they slowly became friends. Now, however, they were almost like brother and sister. Kyuubi would be overprotective sometimes, and be teasing Naruto the next. He would tease back about a few things he had learned about her, like her crush on Haichibi, and this one embarrassing moment she had with Shukaku.

Eflower was about to make a retort, when a sudden puff of smoke interrupted them. A small orange and blue frog looked up at Naruto.

"Hey there! Got a message from old baa-chan for ya. Seems pretty important." Naruto nodded, and took the scroll from the pouch around the frogs neck.

"Thanks. How's Gamakichi?" The little frog had grown to massive size, and was now almost as big as his dad, Chief Gamabunta.

"Big brother is doing great! He wanted me to say hi to all of ya! See ya!" With that, the little frog disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Arren came over, as Naruto unrolled the scroll. "What is it?"

Naruto just stood there, gripping the scroll tightly. He read it over three times, before he was finally able to look away from it. He looked up at the three concerned faces around him. "It's official. Sasuke Uchiha... has finished his training."

They all stood there in silence for several minutes, until Link spoke up. "That's good news, isn't it?"

Naruto nodded. "That's the good news. The bad news is I have to fight the teme when I get back."

Arren shrugged. "Piece of cake. Naruto, you now how strong you are. With Kyuubi backing you up, you have nothing to worry about."

Naruto sighed. "I know that, but still, I was hoping to just avoid the teme. Instead, I have to fight him, and he'll probably try to kill me."

Inside, Kyuubi growled. "_No one will harm you. This I swear._"

Naruto nodded, and packed the scroll away in a storage scroll. "Well, I guess I've got no choice." He slowly smiled. "At least now, I can see Hinata-chan and the others. I can't wait to see how strong they all have gotten."

Arren smiled. "That's the ticket. First thing tomorrow, we head back to your home."

Eflower smiled, and hugged Naruto. "I can't wait to meet some of your friends. Hinata sounds like someone I could really get along with."

Link smirked. "And I want to meet this Tenten. It would be interesting to see some of the weapons she's got."

"Not to mention I'll finally be able to taste that Ichiraku Ramen. You nearly drove me crazy talking about it!" Arren had become quite the ramen fan, although he could never be more obsessed about it than Naruto was.

Naruto just smiled at all their comments. "Yeah, home."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Yugito crouched low, watching the group from a distance. _Is that him?_

"**I think so. I feel a lot of power coming off him. But it feels different from Kyuubi's. It's like it's Kyuubi, but opposite.**"

_You're making a lot of sense, you know that? _Yugito sighed, as she slowly moved into the open.

"Um... hey there!" She waved. Almost immediately, the entire group turned, hands on their weapons.

The blond with the black coat, sunglasses, and Uzu headband slowly removed his hand from the katana at his side, and cocked his head. "You, are you a jinchuuriki?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Nibi says she senses Kyuubi in you, but something is off."

Naruto eyed her headband. "You're from Kumo? You're a long way from home, and deep in somewhat unfriendly territory."

Yugito sighed. "I know, but I have a few problems. I was attacked by a pair of guys, and they kept driving me away from home. Eventually, I decided to try and find you, and see if you could help. But you're not easy to find."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Two guys? Akatsuki, right? They were wearing black cloaks with red clouds?"

Yugito nodded, and took a hesitant step forward. "I just want to get back home. Can you help?"

Naruto turned to the others. "Guys?"

Link shrugged. "I'm not from around here, so I have no say in the matter."

Eflower nodded. "I don't think she means any harm. And even if she did, I think you and Arren could handle her."

Arren nodded. "Besides, it could get us in good with Kumo."

Naruto nodded. "All right. But we're not just doing this to gain an ally." He turned to Yugito. "You'll have to come with us to Konoha first. I promise we'll get you to Kumo after that."

Yugito nodded slowly. "Okay, but... how do you know they won't imprison me or something?"

Naruto sighed, and slowly drew Uzu Izou, and cut his palm on it. He held up the blood covered sword. "I promise you on my blood, and the sword of my family, that you will return home."

Yugito just looked at him. "Why did you do that? You just cut your palm!"

Naruto face planted. On the ground, he muttered. "It's a blood oath, and Kyuubi will heal me in less than a minute."

Yugito blushed. "Oh. Sorry."

Naruto got up. "All right. I suggest we rest, spar, train, whatever. Tomorrow, we head for Konoha."

In the trees in the distance, Hidan and Kakuzu of Akatsuki watched.

"Well, this ain't fing good."

"Nope. Not at all. We can take one jinchuuriki, maybe two. But I don't think we can handle all that group."

"Guess we have to call Itachi and Kisame in to help us with this f(ing mess."

Kakuzu sighed. "Did you have to swear all the time?"

"Yes, I f&ing do!"

The two left, to contact their fellow Akatsuki members.

* * *

**LR: All right! Naruto is going home!**

**Naruto: Yeah!**

**Arren: And I'm going to be proctor for the match! Sweet!**

**Allan: I can't wait for you to introduce Sasuke. That's going to be funny!**

**RS: (wobbling in wheel chair) This is so awesome! (Falls over)**

**Eflower and Link struggle to help her up, while LR laughs his butt off.**

**Please review! And props to vampireslover19 for the Pine Needle Senbon Jutsu!**


	8. An Outcast's Homecoming

**Velcome, to the lair, of the LEAF RANGER! MUHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!**

**Sorry. Hallove- I mean Halloween is coming, so I feel... wierdish.**

**RS: I'll say (is leaning on a crutch)**

**Allan: So, it has finally come.**

**Arren: The big chapter.**

**Eflower: The one...**

**Arashen: ...where Naruto...**

**Naruto: comes home BABY! YEAH, BELIEVE IT!**

**Link: Ow. Do you have to yell so loud?**

**Naruto: Sorry.**

**Link: What?**

**Naruto: Sorry!**

**Link: WHAT?!**

**Naruto: SORRY!**

**LR: Hold on. (Pulls out ear inspecting instrument) Yep, there's damage done in there.**

**Kyuubi: Nice job, baka.**

**Naruto: Hey, I could pull you back into the seal.**

**LR: Right. LET'S ROCK! (Start playing Student Driver by Stellar Kart)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Zelda, Arren, Eflower, Avril Lavigne or Stellar Kart. They rock!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**An Outcast's Homecoming**

_Three days later_

The news of Naruto Namikaze's return from exile had swept through the village like wild fire. The shinobi, and few civilians who saw him for what he truly was, immediately began preparations for his return. The rest of the civilians felt a mixture of emotions. Fear and anger coursed through them. Anger that the demon scum was returning, and fear that he would seek retribution, seeing as he was the son of the legendary Yondaime.

On the day he was supposed to return, Sasuke continued to train all his skills in the main training dojo of the Uchiha district. He smirked as he watched the training dummy burn into nothing from one of his fire jutsu's.

_You won't last five minute's, dobe. I hope you enjoyed the last few years, because you won't be spending any more alive._

The other former genin had been busy getting ready to greet Naruto, and had managed to work it that on the day he would return, they would all be able to wait at the gate for him.

Hinata stood with Kiba and Shino. Akamaru, now the size of a large wolf, lay in a sunbeam, sleeping. Kiba ran an affectionate hand over his canine companion. The Inuzuka now wore a black long sleeved jacket over a mesh shirt, and black pants. Shino, who was standing in the shadow of the wall, had on a large coat with a hood pulled up. He had replaced his sunglasses with goggles like his father and other Aburame wore.

Near them, Ino, wearing a purple top which showed off her midriff, and a purple skirt with shorts under it, was talking with Sakura. Ino had also made chuunin, and became a medic with Sakura, although she wasn't Tsunade's apprentice. Her blond hair was in a long ponytail, with part of her bangs covering one of her eyes.

"I can't believe he's coming back! I really want to find out if some of those rumors about him are true!" Ino said excitedly. From what she had heard, Naruto was a total hunk, who was an incredible fighter. Sakura nodded.

"Me too. But don't try and steal him. You know how Hinata feels about him."

Ino sighed. "I know. It's too bad."

Nearby, the first chuunin of the group sighed. "How troublesome." Shikamaru wore a black body suit, with his chuunin vest over it. Next to him, Chouji was munching on a bag of potato chips. The heir of the Akimichi now wore a red body suit, with grey armor over it, like his dad. His hair was now long, and hung down his back.

The last group approached the gate, having come from a training session. Rock Lee now looked exactly like Might Gai, except for his bigger eyes. He was excitedly jogging in place.

"I cannot believe Naruto-san is finally returning home! He was always a worthy person, as his flames of determination were perhaps even greater than my own!"

Tenten, who now wore a long white shirt, fingerless gloves, and red baggy pants, adjusted the massive storage scroll on her back. "Yeah, it will be great to have him back. If what Hinata told Neji is true, he should be an incredible swordsman. Perhaps he'd like to spar sometime."

Neji nodded. The Hyuuga prodigy now wore black pants under a long, loose white shirt. He was beginning to look exactly like his uncle Hiashi, and father Hizashi. "Hinata-sama has told me that he wrote her about training with katana's. It actually is what started her with her own weapon training." Hinata, three months after Naruto's departure, had expressed an interest in combining Hyuuga Juuken with a weapon. After some trial and error, she had found that the Juuken worked with staves, and tonfa's. Of the two, she had selected to fight with a staff, and through Tenten's families weapon shop, had one developed that could be used to channel chakra to shut down a enemies chakra points. The initial tests showed the weapon to be a huge success, and other members of the Hyuuga can had also started training in this new style.

Hinata looked out to the woods, for perhaps the hundredth time in the last half hour. Still no sign of him. The Hyuuga heiress sighed.

_Be patient. He'll be here soon._

Not too far from the gate, hidden in some trees, Naruto and company looked at the huge group assembled at the gate. Even now, Naruto could see everyone who had seen him off joining his friends. The sight of all of them, wanting to see him again, brought a tear of joy to his eye. He smiled, as he turned to the others. Eflower and Arren we busy looking over the people at the gate, while Link and Yugito were amazed by the wall. Yugito had heard of the wall's of Konoha, but hadn't thought it was true that they towered above the trees themselves.

Link had never seen a man made structure this big in his life. The biggest he had ever seen was Hyrule Castle, and that had only been the castle. The wall around it had been about twenty feet in height. This wall was almost a hundred feet tall, and stretched for miles.

"How is this possible?" He asked.

Naruto shrugged. "It was built during the time of the Shodaime Hokage. His brother was the Nidaime when it was done. We had plenty of earth element jutsu wielders working on it." He had a little bit of an evil look on his face, as he looked back at the crowd of people.

"You guys want to have a little fun?" As the nodded, Naruto explained his plan. With a nod, and Arren helping Link, the five of them disappeared from the tree, and headed for the wall. The guards patrolling the wall didn't notice the four shadows that easily leaped over the wall, or the genjutsu that masked on of Link's clawshots biting into the wall, and the green clad hero pulling himself up, before sliding over the wall, and down the other side.

The group was all watching the road intently, hoping to catch a glance of their favorite blond outcast. None of them notice the tall man in a long black coat, sunglasses, and wearing a Whirlpool headband.

"Hey, what are you all doing?" The man asked, in a deep voice. None of those present looked at him. Gai was the only one to answer.

"We're waiting for Naruto Namikaze, the youthful man who brought Sasuke Uchiha back, and is now being allowed to return to Konoha."

The man nodded. "Really? Do you think he will be here soon?"

Kakashi nodded, his one eye trained on the road, his perverted book actually put away for once. "His last letter said he would be."

The man nodded, and turned to the figures that had joined him. "Well, we won't keep you waiting. I'll just tell old baa-chan I'm here, and leave you all to your business."

Everyone froze, as the man's voice had changed to one that was familiar. And only one person dare call Tsunade "Baa-chan". They all whirled to see Naruto grinning at them. He opened his arms wide. "You all miss me?"

There was silence for several seconds, then a voice yelled out "Naruto-kun!" Naruto managed to see a blur, and then a figure had tackled into him, her arms wrapped around his chest. Naruto looked down to see Hinata standing there, hugging him.

"Hinata-chan? Is that really you?" When Hinata nodded, his grin became even wider.

"Well, you seem real happy to see me." Naruto started to laugh, only to stop when Hinata looked up at him. What he saw amazed and stunned him. Her eyes were full of happiness, and Naruto could see her hidden love in them. But also, he could see a blazing fire of determination, one that he had never seen before. To Naruto, Hinata had never looked more beautiful. He just stared at her, lost in her eyes.

Hinata slowly reached up, and pulled the sunglasses from Naruto's face. As his vivid blue eyes appeared, Hinata smiled. Those eyes, they were seeing her. Seeing her as a strong shinobi, and as a beautiful woman. Hinata blushed, but smiled even more, before burying her head in his chest again.

"It's so good to see you again, Naruto-kun."

Naruto just looked at her, then slowly whispered, "It's great to see you again too, Hinata-chan."

It was then that the others decided that Hinata had monopolized Naruto enough. Sakura came over. "Naruto, it's great to see you again!"

Naruto looked up, momentarily distracted, but he smiled. "Hey Sakura. Still into red and black I see."

Sakura nodded, as Ino sauntered over. "My, my. Look whose grown all big and buff." Ino admired Naruto's physique, but then her attention shifted towards one of the figures behind Naruto. Her eyes widened at the sight of the handsome man in green tunic. "And who is this?"

Naruto grinned. "Everyone, I want you to meet my friends and family. This is Arren Pikku Uzumaki, my cousin." Arren smiled as he waved a hand. "Hey all."

Naruto moved to the next member. "This is Eflower Angelius, his girlfriend." There was a slight awww of disappointment from Kiba, and strangely one from Kurenai, who was looking at Arren. Naruto just shook his head, and turned to Ino's center of attention. "This is Link. He's... well, it's complicated, and he should be the one to explain." Then Naruto turned to the last person. "And this is Yugito Nii, from Kumo."

Almost immediately, everyone went on the alert, and got into battle positions, except Hinata who still was hanging on to Naruto. Naruto waved his hands in the air, while Link and Arren moved in front of Yugito.

"Woah, woah! She's not an enemy! Akatsuki was after her!"

At the mention of Akatsuki, everyone stiffened, but slid out of their stances. Naruto sighed in relief. "Like I said, Akatsuki was after her, and I agreed to help her back to her village."

Hinata smiled up at Naruto. "That's so like you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled down at her. "Thank you. Um, I really like the hug, but I think you can let go now." Hinata blushed, and backed away, but Naruto gently grabbed her arm.

"I liked it, I just want to meet everyone else. But when everything is done, I want to take you somewhere special. Do we have a date?"

Hinata's blush deepened, and she just nodded. He smiled, and kissed her cheek, before turning back to everyone. He decided to introduce his new friends to his old friends.

"Guys, you probably guessed this beautiful girl here is Hinata-chan. This is Sakura Haruno, my teammate. The blond girl there is Ino Yamanaka." Said blond gave Link a flirtatious smile.

Naruto moved on. "Those are her teammates, Shikamaru Nara, and Chouji Akimichi." The big boned eater, and lazy genius waved.

Naruto pointed to the next group, only to have two of them strike their poses.

"I am the Sexy Green Beast of Konoha, and taijutsu master, MIGHT GAI!"

"And I'm the Second Green Beast of Konoha, ROCK LEE!" They both held out their hands, thumbs up, with sparkling smiles. Arren wisely snapped his eyes shut as they started their pose. "Those guys need to call down. " He said, as he opened his eyes.

Naruto shrugged, his sunglasses back in place to block the blinding smiles. "You get used to it. Now, the other two there are Tenten, Weapon Mistress of Konoha, and Neji Hyuuga, the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan."

Neji bowed. "You honor me, Naruto. But Hinata is almost an equal prodigy to me now. She has developed a new style of armed combat for the Hyuuga clan, as well as a new technique for those who can't perform rotation that well."

Naruto's eyebrows went up, and he looked at Hinata, who was blushing. "Is that true?"

Hinata nodded. Naruto smiled, and hugged her. "That's so great! We can share our new techniques with each other. Of course, a couple of mine were my dads, he just couldn't get them down. And I still need a little work on them."

"Oi, don't forget us!" Kiba exclaimed. "I'm Kiba Inuzuka, and Mr. Personality there is Shino Aburame." Shino just bowed his head.

Naruto smiled, as he looked up at the adults. "Oh, can't forget you guys too. This is Kakashi Hatake, my sensei," said ninja smiled and raised a hand, "you know Might Gai. That's Asuma Sarutobi," the smoking ninja nodded, "and Kurenai Yuuhi, the genjutsu mistress."

Said woman bowed her head, while Naruto moved to the last three people. "That's Iruka-sensei. He taught me in the Academy. And that's Anko, she likes snakes and dango."

Anko smirked, and rubbed Naruto's hair. "Good to see you again, gaki. I think we'll have some fun times, messing with peoples head. The Snake Mistress, and the Black Fox, causing major havoc."

Naruto smirked, before turning to the white haired man next to Anko, only to see him writing in a notebook, while looking at Eflower. Naruto sighed, as Arren immediately caused a gust of wind to grab the notebook, and fling it into a nearby trash can, which then exploded into flames. Naruto shook his head. "My other sensei, Ero-sennin. Also know as Jiraiya, the Toad Sage."

"How you doing kid? Those scrolls I gave you come in handy?"

Naruto nodded. "Sure did. I can't wait to show you what I've been up to with the Rasengan and Hiraishin."

Jiraiya, as well as all the other ninja, just stared at him in amazement. Yugito also stared, as she knew what he was talking about. Every shinobi from Iwa to Kiri knew about the Hiraishin. Jiraiya finally was able to talk.

"You... you learned how to do it?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, but as it stands, I can only go a few feet. My chakra control isn't good enough. Which reminds me, we need to have a little talk, about... you know."

Shino sighed. "If you mean Kyuubi, we all know."

Naruto looked at him in astonishment, and then looked at Hinata. "You told them?"

As Hinata nodded, Naruto looked at all of them. "And none of you have a problem with this?"

They shook their heads, while Sakura spoke up. "Naruto, if you were Kyuubi, I think me and Sasuke wouldn't have lived through the mission to Wave. Hinata explained how it was sealed in you."

Naruto smiled, but felt a twinge of regret from Kyuubi. He immediately spoke up. "Thanks, but there are a few things you guys should know. For one, I know this seems crazy, but... me and Kyuubi are actually on pretty good terms right now. I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to her as it."

Everyone was taken aback. Jiraiya's eyes widened. "You mean... Kyuubi is a girl!" He whipped out a new notebook, and began writing down ideas for a new book. "Yes... yes... the Jinchuuriki, and his Sexy Vixen." Suddenly, that notebook was ripped from his hands, and thrown onto the burning trash can. Naruto turned back to Jiraiya.

"Ero-sennin, I like you, but don't go writing about my nee-chan like that."

Everyone sweat dropped at this. "Nee-chan! Naruto, you and Kyuubi are brother and sister?!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto sighed. "Not actually by blood. It's a long story, and I can't explain everything right now. Just please, believe me when I say Kyuubi is not so bad anymore. Please?"

Everyone looked skeptical, except Hinata who nodded. "I'll believe you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled. "Great. Hey listen. I really want to hang out with all of you, and catch up. So let's go to Hokage Tower, I'll report in, and then we can all go get something eat, and catch up!"

Everyone nodded, and Naruto turned. His eyes went up to the Hokage Mountain, where Tsunade's face had been added. His eyes went to the face next to it.

_Dad, I'm home._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Tsunade cursed the evil that covered her desk. Naruto was coming home, and she was forced to sit here, and fill out useless forms about how one clan wanted this, and another clan didn't want the first clan to have their way. She sighed, as she placed another signed form in her outbox, when she heard a scream of delight outside her door. Then, said door was opened, and Shizune's beaming face appeared.

"Tsunade-sama, you have a visitor."

Tsunade nodded, a smile forming on her face. "Send him in."

Shizune sidestepped, to reveal Naruto Namikaze. Tsunade's looked the almost sixteen year old jinchuuriki over. He had practically doubled in height. His horrid orange jumpsuit was gone, replaced with a grey mesh muscle shirt, black cargo pants, along black coat, and black shinobi sandals. He pulled a pair of sunglasses off his nose, and put them in one of his coat pockets. Her necklace hung around his neck, and Kushina's Whirlpool headband was secured around his forehead. Tsunade stood up, and came around her desk to hug him.

"It's good to see you again, gaki."

"It's good to be home, baa-chan. How's things been in the village?"

"Tense. Very tense." She looked up at the others who had come in behind Naruto. "Are these all of your companions?"

Naruto nodded. "Yep. Meet Arren Pikku Uzumaki, Eflower Angelius, Link, and Yugito Nii. Which reminds me, we need to help her get home. Akatsuki was after her."

Tsunade glanced at the blond woman. "I see. Well, we'll see what we can do." Tsunade sighed happily, before becoming serious.

"I'm afraid that our happy reunion must be cut short. Sasuke demanded you be brought back to the village, so he could test his power against you. I've scheduled the fight for tomorrow. With it, I plan to assess your skill level, and then give you a proper rank."

Naruto nodded sadly. "Well, I was hoping to rest for a few days, but I guess I've got no choice. What about the village? I'm sure the civilians are thrilled to have me back."

Tsunade sighed. "It will be tough. Many were quite upset that you were allowed to come home, but backed off in respect for the 'Uchiha's wishes'. Basically, I think you can expect things to be mostly the same as before."

Naruto nodded. "Well, not entirely the same. I have a bunch of friends who don't care about Kyuubi being in me, a great girl who I'm interested in, and family. Speaking of which, we need a place to stay."

Tsunade smiled. "There's a nice new apartment complex near the clan section of the village. I had a couple rooms reserved just for you and your family."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks baa-chan. It's great to be home."

Tsunade smiled, and hugged him again. "It's great to have you home again." She pulled back, and looked over the others.

"Once everything has been settled down, we'll talk about getting Yugito home, and about your adventures. For now, go have fun, and rest."

Naruto smiled, and bowed. "As you order, Hokage-sama."

Outside, Naruto and company hooked up with the others, and they went out to celebrate Naruto's return home.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Several miles outside the village, four figures watched Konoha from the top of the tree's they were standing on. Itachi sighed.

"This is the second time I've come with in ten miles of my former home, since I slaughtered the clan."

Kisame smirked. "Is that... regret in your voice, Itachi?"

Itachi shook his head. "No. And yet... yes. There are a few things I miss about my home. Including this one particular person."

Hidan shook his head. "What's with all the F&ing sentimental s#?! It's depressing, and I hate depression."

Kakuzu smirked behind the face mask he wore. "There are quite a few bounties in there. Maybe we could find time to collect them."

"Shut the f up! We don't have time for your stupid obsession with money!"

Kisame sighed, and whispered to Itachi, "Please, let me kill them now."

"No. The two of us would waste energy, which might be needed later. When the time comes, we'll take care of them."

"And when we've become traitors to Akatsuki?"

Itachi glanced at Konoha. "Then we'll return home, and see what welcome awaits us. Especially if a certain truth becomes known to my foolish little brother."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The sun was starting to set over Konoha. Naruto had spent all his time after leaving the Hokage's Tower with his friends, listening to stories of their adventures, and telling them his own. They had eaten, laughed, and gotten caught up. Eventually, one by one, the others began to leave. Eventually, Hinata was the only one left. She had followed Naruto and his group to their new home. It was a fairly new apartment complex, run by a retired shinobi who had whole heartily supported Naruto. He banned anyone who viewed Naruto as a "demon" from entering, and had personally shown them to the best rooms in the whole building. Naruto had his own place, which he shared with Link, while Eflower and Arren took the other one. Yugito had been welcomed to share their apartment.

After getting settled in, Naruto had taken Hinata up on Hokage Mountain, where the two sat, and just enjoyed each other's company.

(A/N: I know I keep using this as a romantic setting, but where else is as romantic in Konoha! Not the hot springs (which aren't coed), very few of the training grounds, and Ichiraku isn't entirely romantic)

Naruto smiled, as he watched the orange ball of flame and light dip lower. "I always use to come up here to think. It was usually for my next prank, or on why everyone seem to hate me."

Hinata snuggled against his arm, and he glanced at her. "It really is good to see you again, Hinata-chan. Out of everyone here, you were the one I missed the most."

Hinata smiled up at him. "I really missed you too. I'm glad you're back." She hugged him, and felt his arms wrap around her. He gently breathed in her scent, and sighed, before remembering something.

"Here, I wanted to show you this." He reached into one of the pockets on his pants, and pulled out a wooden ocarina. He gently placed it on his lips, and began to play a soft melody on it. Hinata became entranced at the first note, and sat there, staring, as Naruto played his melody all the way through. The soft notes were somehow able to travel over Konoha. Link smirked as he heard the melody, recognizing it as a lullaby he taught Naruto.

In the Uchiha district, Sasuke heard the song, and immediately felt like he had whenever his mom had comforted him, and made him feel better. For a split second, all his desires and thoughts of revenge disappeared, as he imagined his mom standing next to him. Then he shook his head, and went back to his training for his fight tomorrow.

Naruto ended the melody, and took the ocarina from his lips. Hinata smiled, tears of joy in her eyes.

"Naruto-kun, that was beautiful."

"It was, wasn't it? Link taught it to me, after he had Arren make one of these. I know a few others."

He sighed, as he put the instrument away. "Hinata-chan... there are so many thoughts going through my head right now. When I was writing to you, and reading you letters, I felt something grow. This feeling, inside of me. It started the day we had Ichiraku, and grew when you kissed me, before I left. Now, it feels so... I can't describe it. But... I know what it is."

He took a deep breath, and looked Hinata straight in the eyes. His sunglasses were back in his pocket, as he had removed them during the get together with the others. He licked his lips in a fit of nervousness, then said, "Hinata-chan, I really like you. In fact, I think I may love you."

Hinata' eyes watered even more, and she smiled, as she wiped her eyes. "Naruto-kun... I've loved you for so long. In the Academy, when I saw you stand up ,and say that you would become Hokage, I felt such admiration for your courage. As I continued to watch you, my admiration grew, and became a crush. But then, when the chuunin exams came, and I heard how you vowed to fight for me against Neji, and when I talked to you at the training posts, I... I knew what I felt was much more."

She smiled at him, and at the tears falling down his own face. Slowly their smiles faded, and their faces grew closer. Naruto tilted his head slightly to the side, and their lips met.

They held the kiss for several seconds, and then slowly drew apart. Inside Naruto, Kyuubi smiled, as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"_I'm happy for you, ni-san. I really hope you two are happy together._"

Naruto's eyes opened, and he looked upon the face of the young woman in front of him. She was doing the same, her eye's lit up with happiness as she looked at him. He smiled, before wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her into a second kiss. This one lasted much longer, for several minutes. Eventually, they broke apart for air, and were panting slightly. Hinata snuggled against Naruto's neck, while he stroked her hair. They stayed like that for a few minute's, until Naruto sighed at the sight of the orange strip still left on the horizon.

"It's getting late."

"I don't care." Hinata whispered.

"What about your dad?"

"I don't think he'll mind."

Naruto smiled, and kissed the top of Hinata's head. "Well, I guess we can wait a while then."

The two sat back, and Naruto placed his coat over them like a blanket. Hinata snuggled closer, as they watched the sun set, and the stars come out.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The sun was mid way on it's journey into the sky. Shinobi and civilians were gathering in the chuunin arena. All of them were anticipating a good fight. Ninety five percent of the civilians were hoping to see Sasuke Uchiha kill the demon scum, and become the hero who did what the Yondaime couldn't do. The other five percent, and every ninja not in Root, were rooting for Naruto to win.

Hinata smiled, as she remembered the special night she had shared with Naruto. They had ended up falling asleep out under the stars. When she had awoken, she had found herself in her bed, with a note from Naruto, telling her he enjoyed their night together, and was wondering if she would like to have another lunch date with him after he was done fighting Sasuke. Hinata had found Naruto outside the arena, told him she would love to have lunch with him, before kissing him, whispering, "For luck."

Next to her, Link and Eflower were scanning the crowds. Link was watching for Ino, who had tried her best to talk him into a date, and had latched onto him several times, calling him Link-kun. Eflower was busy looking for Arren, who had left her a note, saying he had important business to attend to, but not to worry.

The other members of what had been the Rookie nine, along with Team Gai, came over and sat around them. Thankfully for Link, Sakura and Shikamaru provided buffers against Ino for him.

Sasuke smirked as he looked around at the crowd. _When this is done, I'll be able to kill Itachi, because I will have the power he does, and more. _He glanced over at the entrance, waiting for Naruto, and the proctor, to arrive.

Suddenly, a soft, haunting melody filled the air. The sky almost seemed to darken, and a mist hung low to the ground. The melody echoed around the arena walls, increasing in volume and power. Suddenly, a figure seemed to materialize from the mist on the ground.

Naruto stood there, his eyes closed, as he played his ocarina. The tune was saddening, and almost all of them swore they heard a mournful fox howl in the distance. The sun began to shine, the mist began to recede, and Naruto finished his tune, before storing the ocarina away.

"That was a song I wrote, called Kyuubi's Lament. Normally, I don't add chakra to a song, but I wanted everyone to feel what that song truly means."

"Tch. Whatever, dobe."

Naruto smiled. "Sasuke. Good to see you again. When was the last time we saw each other?" Naruto actually looked like he was thinking. "Oh, right. I had just smacked aside your Chidori, and smashed you into the waterfall at the Valley of the End."

Sasuke seethed as Naruto just smiled. "Good times, eh teme?"

Sasuke just sneered. "I underestimated you then. I'm a lot stronger now."

Naruto smiled. "Twice the arrogance, double the fall." (A/N: Count Dooku's line in Star Wars III, when fighting Anakin and Obi-Wan)

At that moment, Arren landed in between them. "Sorry I'm late. I had to take car of something. Then I was lost on the road of life."

A certain one eyed jounin chuckled, while Sakura dropped her head into her hands. "Now there are two of them. Kami help us all."

Naruto looked at his cousin in surprise. "Arren? What are you doing here?"

"I'm the proctor for the fight. Tsunade-sama wanted me to do it, in case Root or the civilians put a corrupt person in charge here."

Naruto nodded. "Cool." He smirked at Sasuke. "Meet my cousin, Arren Pikku Uzumaki. I'd let him fight you, but I don't think he would enjoy beating you with only one tenth of his skills."

Now Sasuke was really pissed off, and quite a few of the civilians were too. They began to shout insult's at Naruto.

"Brat!"

"You stupid scum bag! Shut up about the Uchiha's!"

"No way you could even touch him!"

Naruto sighed, as he looked up towards the Hokage's Box. In it, he could see Tsunade getting settled. Finally, the last people entered, and Tsunade nodded to Arren. Arren smiled, as he raised his hands.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, ninja's and kunoichi! Today is an assessment fight between Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, also knonw as 'The Black Fox', and son of Minato Namikaze, the famous Yondaime, and 'Yellow Flash' of Konoha. He is one of the last of the Uzumaki, whose determination stopped many evils." There were cheers and boos from all over the stadium for the young jinchuuriki. "And fighting this Legend-to-be is Sasuke Uchiha. Also last of his clan. Burt he will never be as good as Naruto, because he is a snobbish, petty, arrogant, spoilt, emo-king, good for nothing, backstabbing, gut wrenching, master traitor, avenging dick-headed bastard, idiotic, stupid god of weirdness brat with huge moral problems, who should be in hell."

(A/N: ... While I didn't think up of the introductions, I so wish I had. Although Sasuke's is a little long winded)

At this, there was absolute silence, before laughter broke out amongst the shinobi, and their civilian allies. The rest of the civilians were in utter shock. Sasuke glared at Arren, absolute hatred in his eyes, while killer intent leaked out of every pore of his body. Arren stuck his tongue out, before continuing.

"All right. The rules are, you two fight till one of you drops, is unable to continue, or is dead. If order by the Hokage, I will step in, and end the fight. Believe when that unless Naruto doesn't want to stop, I can stop this fight easily. Are you both ready?"

Sasuke managed to get enough control to smirk. "I'll end you here and now, Naruto."

Naruto just placed his sunglasses on his nose, held them there with chakra, and adjusted his gloves. "Let's do this, teme."

Arren raised a hand, then dropped it, yelling, "Fight!" As he vanished, a cheer went up and the two combatants rushed forward.

* * *

**LR: Ah, my horrible, haunting, Cliffhanger no jutsu strikes again!**

**Allan: Yeah for cliffhangers!**

**Naruto: Characters like me hate them.**

**Arashen: So do the OCs!**

**Arren and Eflower: We don't!**

**LR: Well, how else am I supposed to keep people on the edge of their seats, and wanting to read my story?**

**RS: Got me.**

**Allan: I like making people wait.**

**LR: Well, while we do, let's rock some more! (Puts in CD. Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" Starts playing)**

**Naruto: What the heck!**

**LR: Who switched the CD'S?**

**RS: Awesome!**

**LR: Oh well, this song is O.K.**

**Allan: Bags, I get to choose the next song!**

**Please review. **


	9. Naruto's Power

**Allan's taking a vacation, so for five days, I have no beta. Anyways, this is the big chapter that a lot of you have been waiting for. This is the Naruto /Sasuke fight, in which we** **see if Naruto kick's ass, or Sasuke gets the Mangekyou.**

**RS: What do you mean? What else can happen but Naruto beating the emo into a bloody pulp?**

**LR: *whispers* I'm tensing everyone up. It makes the chapter a killer to read.**

**Arashen: (huge sweat drop on his head) You realize you said that where everyone could read it, right?**

**LR: WHAT?!**

**Link: What have I gotten myself into?**

**Arren and Eflower: Ditto.**

**Naruto: You get used to it.**

**LR: Well, crap. Oh well. Time to rock and roll!**

**Pulls out guitar, and starts blazing away, destroying everyone's eardrums.**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Naruto, Zelda, or Arren and Eflower. Now, BEHOLD MY AWESOME SOLO!

RS: .....help us......

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Naruto's Power**

The two combatants led with right hooks. Like in their fight on the hospital roof, they both caught each other's fists, and stood there, straining against each other. At least, to the civilians, it looked like that. To the shinobi, they noticed Sasuke's arms trembling, as he tried to push his punch, while also trying to hold back Naruto's. The blond didn't even seem phased, as he held Sasuke's punch back. Suddenly he leaned to the right, releasing Sasuke's fist, which sailed past his head. He delivered a left fist to the Uchiha's gut, driving the air from his lungs, and knocking back.

Sasuke held his gut with one hand, as he looked up at Naruto. It felt like he had just been hit by charging bull. He straightened, and settled into his taijutsu stance, waiting for Naruto to come at him. Naruto shook his head.

"What's the matter teme? Why aren't you using the Sharingan?"

"Tch. Like I need it right now, loser. When you get serious, then I might need it."

Naruto smirked, before blurring, only to come into focus right in front of Sasuke. "Serious enough for ya?"

Sasuke would have replied, except for the haymaker smashing into his jaw. Sasuke flew several feet, skidding into the ground, before finding his footing. He looked up in astonishment, as Naruto just stood there, watching him.

Grunting, Sasuke reached behind him, drawing a kunai knife, and a few shurikens. With all his speed, he threw them at Naruto.

Naruto saw the glint of sunlight on steel, and began his dodge as Sasuke's arms came up to throw. He ducked down while turning to his right, both hands reaching into the inside pockets of his coat. The weapons flew over head, as he continued his turn, coming around and up. From his coat, he drew several shurikens.

Naruto came back up, and threw the shurikens as he faced Sasuke. The Uchiha easily dodged them, smirking.

"Your aim stinks, loser. Guess all that training didn't do squat."

Naruto smirked. "Really? Check again!" Naruto moved his fingers, as Sasuke whirled around. The eight shurikens had stopped, and reversed direction, coming back at him. Sasuke jumped up, pulling out a kunai knife as he back flipped. He managed to block most of them, but one ripped through the left sleeve of his shirt, and cut his skin. He landed, unwrapping the bandages around his forearms.

"Well that was impressive. But I'm still better!" He tapped a pair of seal on the underside of his forearms. Shurikens started popping out, and he threw them as fast as he could.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw a storm of shurikens heading his way. He immediately pulled the sword around his waist from it's sheathe, and began to block the shurikens he couldn't dodge.

Sasuke kept tossing shurikens at Naruto, although his eyes widened at the sight of some of them being cleaved in two by the blade in his hands. _Where did he get a sword like that? It would really help in my battle against Itachi._

Arren smirked, as he watched Naruto easily defend himself, using the blade techniques he had taught him. _He really is an Uzumaki. Now, let's see some of the Namikaze in him._

Hinata was amazed at the skill and grace Naruto had while blocking and dodging. He made it look so easy, almost effortless. _Naruto-kun, you've become so strong. I hope I've become strong enough too._

Danzou was sweating, as he watched the fight below him. _The boy is strong. Far stronger than I expected. What if he wins?_

All around the arena, shinobi and civilians watched in amazement. The ninja's were smiling, seeing the true potential of Naruto coming out. The civilians were becoming scared, as they saw the "demon" was much stronger than before.

Sasuke found himself running out of stored shurikens. As he threw the last of them, he started performing hand signs. "**Fire Style, Fire Ball jutsu!**" Sasuke launched a massive fire ball from his mouth.

Naruto blocked the last Shuriken, only to be caught by the fireball. He suddenly exploded into smoke. Sasuke backed up, shocked.

"A shadow clone? When?"

"From the beginning, teme." Sasuke whirled around, seeing Naruto standing by one of the trees. "I made the clone before I entered the arena. He was the one who made the grand entrance, while I watched and waited.

Sasuke growled, and prepared for another fireball, when the ground at his feet cracked. Suddenly a fist popped out of the ground, and smashed into his chin, knocking him upwards. "NA!"

A foot struck him in the back, knocking him higher. "RU!"

A spinning kick sent him flying into another clone, who smashed him up with a back flip kick. "TO!"

The real Naruto appeared in the sky over, and brought his foot down in a spinning ax kick. It smashed into Sasuke's chest, and sent him crashing into the ground. " Namikaze Ricochet Barrage!"

Naruto landed, as did his clones, only to find a log in place of Sasuke. "A substitution? Not bad."

Several small fireballs blew out of a tree, and decimated the clones, while one grazed Naruto's sleeve, as he dodged it. Sasuke dropped from the tree he was in, all ready finishing hand signs for a familiar jutsu. His eyes blazed red in the Sharingan, as lightning formed in his palm.

"**Chidori!**" Sasuke yelled, as he rushed forward. Naruto began performing hand signs with his back turned to Sasuke.

"**Wind Style, Wind Saw Mill Jutsu!**" He held out his right hand, and a disk of whistling air formed in it, shaping itself like a saw blade, he whirled around, the disk leaving his hand, and whirling at Sasuke. He was forced to dodge to one side, while Naruto moved out of his target range. Sasuke ruined his chance to hit him with the Chidori, and turned to face Naruto, who was suddenly disappearing into a mist. More of the mist began to cover the field. Sasuke looked around in confusion.

"How can a genjutsu fool the Sharingan? It shouldn't!"

"That's because it isn't, teme. It's a ninjutsu, one you, Kakashi, and Sakura should be very familiar with. **Water Style, Hidden Mist Jutsu!**"

Sasuke's moved forward slowly, unsheathing his chokuto. "So, you're a water and wind type?"

Naruto's chuckle echoes from everywhere. "Actually, I'm primarily wind, with lighting as a secondary. But.... well, thanks to the reason I was hated in this village, I actually can use all five elements. But wind and lightning are my best."

Sasuke was completely unnerved now. The mist was so strong, his Sharingan couldn't penetrate it. And none of his other senses could detect Naruto's direction. He stabbed his sword into the ground, and prepared to unleash another fire jutsu.

"**Fire Style, Grand Dragon Flame Jutsu!**" With a roar, flames erupted around him, clearing a ten by ten foot space. Still he didn't see Naruto.

"Come out and face me, coward!"

"Oh I will. I just didn't want you copying this next move. It was something my dad theorized, but never could get down. Here it is. **Divine Wind Clone Jutsu!**" (**Kamikaze no bushin!**)

Sasuke heard the wind whirl in the mist, then disappear. Then, he heard the sound of running footsteps. As the grew closer, Naruto leapt at Sasuke.

The crowd were anxious to see what was going on. Hinata had her Byakugan activated, but was having trouble tracking the chakra signatures, as was every Hyuuga. All they could here were grunts and clashing metal. Suddenly, there was a massive blast of wind, and the mist was blown away, as Sasuke was hurled out of it, and into a wall. The crowd saw three Narutos standing there, all of the smirking, as Sasuke slowly fell from the wall, and onto his hands and knees. The Uchiha looked up at Naruto.

"Wh..what was that?"

"Like I said, Divine Wind Clones. Basically, it's a clone made out of air. This would seem to be a waste, as air clones would be insubstantial, and couldn't fight. But these clones compress air into a form. It takes massive chakra, and a fair amount of control, so I can only do three at a time. As you experienced, when a clone is destroyed, the wind is released rather violently."

Sasuke stood up, glaring at the three Naruto's. The two on the sides drew their swords, and rushed forward. Sasuke bit his thumb, and ran through some hand signs. In the stands, Danzou panicked.

_He can't use that! The fool!_

Sasuke smashed his hand into the ground. "**Summoning jutsu!**" There was an explosion of smoke, and Sasuke arose from it, on the head of a giant black snake. The reptile flicked it's tongue out, tasting the air, before looking at the two clones. It opened it's mouth, and spewed acid at them, destroying both of them. The snake was buffeted by the wind, but was otherwise unharmed.

Several ninja's in the crowd were extremely alarmed by this development. Especially a certain jounin. _But only hebi-teme has the contract for snakes! _Anko thought.

Tsunade was thinking the same thing. _Orochimaru must have gotten to Sasuke somehow. But that means he has a contact in the village. _She turned to one of the Anbu standing nearby. "Begin an investigation into who was visiting Sasuke Uchiha. I want to know who he was in contact with that could have given him this power."

"Yes ma'am!" The Anbu disappeared, and Tsunade turned back to the fight. "Be careful, Naruto." She whispered.

Sasuke smirked, as he stood on the head of the snake. "Well, dobe, what do you think?"

Naruto yawned, crossed his arms, and raised one eyebrow. "I think that this confirms my suspicions. From now on, I'm calling you Sas-gay!"

Sasuke yelled in anger, as the snake whipped it's tail around, and smacked Naruto into a wall. Naruto grunted, as he fell to the ground, and landed on his feet. He wiped some blood from his cheek, and ran through some hand signs of his own.

"**Summoning Jutsu!**" A cloud erupted around him, and then a massive object shot into the sky. Everyone shielded their eyes, only to see Naruto on the back of a massive orange dragon. The mythical beast flapped it's wings, keeping itself in the air.

"**You summoned me, Naruto-san?**"

"Yep. We got a snake problem." Naruto indicated the snake far below. The dragon growled in pleasure.

"**Mmmmmmm. Adder. Been a while since I had one of those.**" The dragon soared down, opening his maw in a earth shattering roar. A thick stream of fire leapt out at the snake. Sasuke barely leapt clear, as the white hot flames burned the snake into a crisp. Even Tsunade could feel the heat, clear up in the Hokage box. The dragon landed next to the burnt snake, and grabbed it in his claws.

"**I thank you for this gift, Naruto-san. Call on me again, if you need me.**" With that, the dragon disappeared, taking his prize with him.

Many miles away, Orochimaru shivered, and hugged himself. Kabuto looked at him questioningly.

"Orochimaru-sama?"

"I felt a disturbance. As if a snake had cried out, and then there was silence."

Sasuke stood there, looking at the scorch mark, that had been his summon. He turned back to Naruto who stood there, waiting.

"This isn't possible. I'm an Uchiha. How can you be so much stronger than me?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "Maybe because I actually work to train. Everything I have, I earned through my own sweat and blood. I didn't have any of it handed to me on a silver platter!"

Sasuke sneered. "So, is that it? That is your answer? Hard work? I've worked hard too!"

"But you always had everything handed to you, and you expect it to be handed to you. Everything I have, I earned it!"

Sasuke just smirked, as he unleashed the curse mark to level two. As his hair grew long, he removed his shirt, so the wings could erupt from his back. Two fangs grew out of his mouth, adding to his smirk.

"Then come at me, with your hard work. Show me the power I saw at the Valley. I'll crush it, and you!"

Naruto went into his mind. "Kyu, with his power like that, I think I'll need to go a little farther."

Kyuubi thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. " Let's put on a show first, but then, use your new weapon."

Naruto nodded. "That could work. At least, I can get rid of the curse mark."

Naruto returned to his mind, and pulled off his coat. He laid it on the ground, then undid the weights on his arms. They dropped to the ground, creating small craters, as each weighed two hundred pounds. He did the same to his legs, releasing another four hundred pounds. Then, he reached under his mesh shirt, and undid the vest of four hundred pounds of weights, before dropping it on the ground in the fair sized crater all the weights were in. As he pulled his coat back on, he looked at Sasuke.

"You want to see that power? Do all of you want to see the power that he is talking about? It's the power that many of you fear, and hated me for. The power I have been keeping in check, and keeping from destroying this village. It is the power I now command!"

_Kyu, give me everything you got!_

Naruto looked at Sasuke, as he finished. "It is the power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Suddenly the red chakra burst from him, and formed around him. His nails and canine teeth grew, his hair became more feral, his whisker marks widened, and behind his glasses, his eyes became red, with black slitted pupils. The chakra took shape around him, and became the Demon Fox Cloak, with five tails. Naruto stood there, as rock fragments began to levitate at the sheer power he was unleashing.

The crowd were deathly afraid, as they watched. While it wasn't the full power they had felt almost sixteen years ago, it was still potent. Many suddenly feared that Kyuubi had broken loose. Even the shinobi were afraid, as they felt the power that had nearly destroyed them, all those years ago.

Arren grimaced at the sheer power, and took a step back. _Cuz is really letting him have it._

Link shuddered in his seat. _I haven't felt that much power since I faced Ganondorf in Hyrule Castle._

Naruto held up one hand, watching the chakra covering it glow. "**This is the power I used to defeat you, Sasuke. And you know what? I don't even need it here to beat you.**" Naruto let the power go, and turned back to normal. He pulled up the left sleeve of his cloak, and removed the bandages, revealing the small seal there. He held his right hand over it, as he channeled chakra into it. With a poof, a katana appeared in his hand. He slowly held it out, pointing it at Sasuke.

"This is all I need to defeat you, right here."

Sasuke eyed the katana. "And what's so special about it? It's nice looking, but so what?"

Naruto shook his head. "This blade is a mixture of Kyuubi's chakra, and the pure energies of a blade from another realm. A blade meant to end evil. And that is what led to this swords name. This is Ken no Fuzen Ate. The Sword of Evil's End."

Sasuke sneered, as he readied his own sword. "It doesn't matter what it's made of, I'll break it in half, and kill you!" With that, Sasuke charged, his speed much higher than before. Naruto also moved, his speed just as high.

To everyone else, they were blurs. But Sasuke's Sharingan, and Naruto's increased and trained senses allowed them to see each other perfectly. They closed the distance, preparing to strike. Suddenly, Naruto flipped over Sasuke, and lashed out with the sword as he passed over head. His blade cut through the skin on Sasuke's shoulder, right at the curse mark.

Naruto landed, and turned, as Sasuke turned to. But suddenly, the Uchiha screamed out in agony, as he clutched the curse mark. His demonic features disappeared, and he fell to his knees, screaming. Almost immediately, Arren jumped into the center, and held up his hands.

" Hold! Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade dropped next to Sasuke, pulled back his hand, and looked at the wound. She gasped, and slowly looked up at Naruto.

"It's gone."

Naruto nodded. "I know. This sword is meant to end evil, just like Link's sword. If an evil person touches it, or it wounds them, or touches an evil object, it destroys them. Sasuke's curse mark is no more."

Sasuke was panting hard, as he glared up at Naruto. "W-why.... did you.... do that?"

Naruto sighed, as he cleaned the tip of the sword, and returned it to his seal. "That power was evil, and tainting what little soul you have left. You are far better off without it."

"You had no right!" Sasuke yelled. "I needed that power!"

Naruto shook his head in disgust. "It was a false power, given to you by a man who wanted to take over your body. It was a handicap, Sasuke. Rely on your own power, and that of your friends. That is how you will find true strength."

Sasuke was about to shout back, except he fell over, exhausted. Tsunade slowly stood up. "I'm declaring this match over. Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze is the winner!"

There was silence, and then claps and cheers began to echo from the shinobi, and their civilian allies. The other civilians just sat there, in shock, fear and anger. Naruto sighed, as he picked up his weights, and secured them on, one by one. He smiled, and waved to those cheering him on, in a much more subdues fashion than he did when he beat Neji in this place, almost three years ago. Slowly, he headed out of the arena, only to find Hinata waiting. She ran up, and hugged him, smiling and crying with joy.

Naruto smiled, as he held her. "You okay?"

Hinata looked up at him in surprise and joy. "I should be asking you that. You're the one who fought today."

Naruto nodded, as he held her. "I know, but you had to sit there, while I unleashed Kyuubi's power. You didn't get hurt by it, did you?"

"No. It was.... incredible." She whispered. Naruto gently kissed her head, as the others came out to join them. They all congratulated him on the fight, but some were a little wary at the display of power he had shown. Naruto just shrugged it off, knowing that he would soon be able to prove to them that the power wasn't evil anymore.

Several minutes later, at a restaurant that was run by civilians who had supported Naruto, the whole group, including Kakashi, Iruka, and Naruto's traveling companions, were busy eating and talking. Eventually, Tenten asked the question that Naruto had been waiting for.

"So, um, Naruto? Where did you get those swords?"

Naruto smiled, as he gently placed a hand on the sword at his waist. "This sword is a heirloom of the Uzumaki clan. I found it in the ruins of the Uzumaki estate in what was Uzu. As for the other one, it actually started as a regular issue ninja katana."

The others looked at him like he was crazy. Naruto just smiled, and leaned back. "On the day Link joined up with us, I asked to examine the Master Sword. I didn't know of the qualities of the blade. The instant I touched it, it's pure energies attacked me, because of Kyuubi. Shortly after I passed out, I found myself in my mindscape, and went to find her. It was then that I found out that the Master Sword had actually destroyed all the evil in Kyuubi."

Kiba looked up from his plate of barbeque beef. "She survived?"

Naruto nodded. "It turns out that Kyuubi had a good side, just not a very big one. But it kept her alive, and now, we act like brother and sister. You won't believe some of the stuff she's gotten into over the years.

"_Don't you dare tell them! I mean it!_"

Naruto chuckled. "Sorry, but she doesn't want me to spill the beans. So, now we work together, and she gives me full access to her power. But I only have half of it which is why I went only five tails in the arena."

The others nodded, and tenten smiled. "You've got a pair of good blades. But I'm also interested in your's as well, Link-san. I don't think I've ever seen that style of blade before."

Link nodded. "It's understandable. I'm not really from these parts. But I'd be happy to show you more. Perhaps a spar, tomorrow?"

Tenten nodded, while Ino seethed. Arren, sitting near her, leaned over to the blond kunoichi. "Ino, you wouldn't get him anyways. He has a girl back home."

Ino huffed, and turned back to her salad. Arren shook his head, before turning to Eflower, and talking with her.

The group enjoyed themselves, talking back and forth with each other, until a pair of ANBU appeared.

"Naruto -san, you and Link-san have been called to the Council meeting room. We are here to escort you."

Naruto sighed, as he stood up. He leaned over, and kissed Hinata on the cheek. "Be back soon." He whispered, before nodding to Link. The two followed the ANBU out.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In the council room, all the members were present, as well as Sasuke Uchiha, who was still a little shaky from the fight, but was recovering. Tsunade sighed, as she wondered what the evil half of the council, as she had taken to calling them in private, wanted, as they were the ones who had called for the meeting. She shook her head, as she leaned back in the chair.

A few minutes later, the doors opened. Naruto and his friend Link entered, bowing to the assembled Council Members, and Tsunade. Naruto smiled at Sasuke.

"Feeling better, Sasuke?"

One of the civilians growled. "Enough of your tongue, boy. We are here to discuss the fight, and what happened."

"Ah yes. I assume we are discussing how I destroyed Sasuke's curse mark?"

"How you destroyed Sasuke's chance to avenge his clan!" Another civilian shouted. Others joined in, until Tsunade smashed her hand on the desk.

"What Naruto did was a blessing! Now, Orochimaru's influence on Sasuke Uchiha is gone!"

"Naruto has cost Sasuke, and this village, a powerful asset! Which is why he must compensate!" Danzou shouted. He turned to Naruto and Link. "Since it was your blade who destroyed Sasuke's advantage, you should forfeit it to Sasuke. He will be able to bring out it's true power."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't think so. If anything, it's true power will just cripple your oh so precious Uchiha for life. The Master Sword, and Fuzen Ate, are weapons meant to serve and protect, not avenge and destroy. They will never wield their power to one who tries to use them for evil intent."

Danzou scoffed. "They are nothing but swords. Tools! One of you will hand over your sword, immediatley."

Naruto just smirked, as he stood there. "Technically, I'm still not a member of Konoha, so you can't order me to do anything. And Link is an honored guest. This Council has no hold over us, as long as we are not members of Konoha's military force."

Danzou scowled, as dis most of the civilians. But a couple actually nodded, and one of them spoke up. "What he says is true. And after seeing the fight, I feel Naruto would be a powerful addition to Konoha. Perhaps it would not be wise to antagonize him."

Tsunade looked around the Council. "I wish to call for a vote. All those in favor of restoring Naruto as a shinobi of Konoha, raise your hands."

All the clan heads, the two elders, and three of the civilians raised their hands. Tsunade smiled. "By majority vote, it has been passed."

Naruto shook his head. "Only if I accept. And I refuse to, unless certain terms are met."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "What are these terms?"

Naruto crossed his arms. " Well, for starters, I'm not giving up my swords, and neither will Link. Second, I want all my inheritance. Everything that belonged to my mom and dad, that they left for me. Third, I want a chance to explain to everyone about Kyuubi. So I also want the Sandaime's law revoked, after I'm done. Lastly? I want Sasuke Uchiha to tell us exactly where he got the snake summoning contract from, since only Orochimaru has it in his possession."

At this, Danzou leapt to his feet. "These demands are outrageous! Why don't you simply ask to be Hokage, while you're at it?"

"Because that is something I'm going to earn, through hard work, and my own sweat and blood." Naruto said, with a smirk.

Tsunade slowly nodded, seeing as these conditions could only help Konoha, and her. "All those in favor?"

Once again, the same amount of hands went up. Tsunade nodded. "Then let's begin with the last request. Sasuke, where did you get the summoning contract for snakes?"

Sasuke sneered. "Why should I have to answer to any of you? I'm an Uchiha."

At that moment, Naruto stood in front of him, leaking out a small amount of Kyuubi's killer intent. He whispered to Sasuke, "An Uchiha who got beat like an Academy student against a chuunin. Your title, clan, and Sharingan mean squat if you can't back them up with your strength. Now answer, before I'm given permission to continue our fight."

Sasuke would have retorted, except he was scared crapless by the look in Naruto's eyes. In them, he could almost see his own death. Finally, he said "Danzou. I got them from Danzou."

Naruto turned to the warhawk, who had been trying to edge away, unseen. "So, Danzou. Where did you get it from?"

"I don't have to answer to you!" He shouted, as he backed up. Suddenly, he found himself backed against a body. He turned to see Tsunade, her face angry, and her hands clenched. The Slug Princess slowly ground out her next words.

"I would suggest you answer the question, before I allow Ibiki and Anko to .... 'persuade' you."

Danzou was now clearly frightened, especially with the KI leaking jinchuuriki approaching. He shook, before finally yelling, "Orochimaru! He wanted me to give them to Sasuke, while he killed Naruto. Then Sasuke would be handed over to him, and he would help me gain control over Konoha."

All the members of the Council gasped, and Sasuke arose in a righteous fury. "You mean you were going to betray me?"

Danzou now had soiled himself, as he had three very high KI's directed at him, as well as several smaller ones from all the council members. Even the civilians were using it, and they had no chakra. Danzou did the only thing he could at the moment. He passed out.

Tsunade turned to the Anbu guards. "Take him the high level security room. Guard him around the clock."

The Anbu nodded, and dragged the unconscious, waste smelling man away. Tsunade turned back to the council room.

"It seems Naruto's banishment was Orochimaru's handiwork. I believe it should be stricken from his records. Agreed?"

Everyone nodded, and Tsunade smiled. "Good. Now, Naruto? I'm officially giving you the rank of jounin of Konoha, seeing as how Sasuke was at least chuunin level, and you beat him easily."

Sasuke growled, until Tsunade's eyes came over to him. "I wouldn't do that. You are under suspicion for the jutsu's Orochimaru gave you through Danzou. I am willing to consider you a loyal member of Konoha, but don't push it. Understand?"

Sasuke grudgingly nodded. "Good! Then I'm promoting you to chuunin. You will be placed on a special squad, which will be formed tomorrow. Naruto, the same holds true for you, but you will command it."

Naruto nodded. "Can I pick my squad, or will it be given to me?"

Tsunade thought for a moment, then nodded. "I think we can let you choose. Oh, have your cousin and that Eflower girl come by too. We need to rank them as well, if they want to join Konoha."

Naruto nodded. "Is that all? I have some.... 'business' to attend to."

Tsunade nodded. "That's all. I'll see what I can do about calling the village together for your announcement. I'll let you know when I have something."

Naruto smiled, and bowed. As he turned, one of the civilians spoke up. "What about Link-san? Shouldn't we offer to make him part of Konoha as well?"

Naruto shook his head. "Link is unable to use any chakra at all, and he's not staying forever. He has his own mission, and I wish to help him with it, when the time comes."

Tsunade nodded. "Very well. That is all." With that, Link and Naruto left. Naruto glanced at Link.

"You were awfully quite."

"I didn't have anything to say." Link smiled, while Naruto shook his head.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The Tscuhikage looked in horror, as Ganondorf held him up with one hand, dark magic flowing out of it, and into the man's body. He grasped the hand, trying to break his grip.

"What...grk... are you....doing?"

"I'm tired of allthese stupid errands and annoying missions that you are sending me on. I need to find something, and you are going to help me. Or rather, or body will."

With that, the dark magic eradicated the Tscuhikage's soul, leaving the man an empty shell. Ganondorf smirked, before disintegrating into a black mass, which entered the Tscuhikage's body. The body shuddered for a moment, then stood up ,and walked around, flexing his arms and hands.

"Perfect. Now nothing will stop me from finding the Nexus."

* * *

**LR: All right. There is less of a cliffhanger here. So I hope I don't leave you all foaming at the mouth.**

**RS: Heh heh. Foaming at the mouth. You know that's not possible, right?**

**LR: Naruto, Arashen? Bring in the pictures, will you?**

**Naruto and Arashen hand LR a bunch of pictures. LR holds one up, and RS screams.**

**LR: These were taken when I did Rebirth of Legends. This one, my third fanfic, is doing almost three times better than that one. I rest my case.**

**RS: That was so messed up.**

**LR: I know.**

**Hey everyone! I'm planning to do reviewer chapters soon. But not until Allan comes back from vacation. For those of you who don't know what they are, please refer to my other two fanfics, Rebirth of Legends, and The Fox Knight. **

**Peace out!**

**P.S. One of my reviewers, T-Biggz, is looking for beta's. Please contact him, if you can help. He'll give you the details.**


	10. Team Outcast

**I don't know what to call this chapter. Is it a filler, or not, becuase no major action takes place, but a couple of events do.**

**RS: What about Link and Tenten's spar?**

**LR: Oh right. This is for all of you out there who have been wondering who would win, Link or Tenten. They will have a spar.**

**Naruto: Oooooh. You might want to be careful, Link.**

**Link: I think I can handle it.**

**Naruto: Your funeral.**

**LR: Anyways, my story is doing very well. After nine chapters, I'm up to 283 reviews, 16,434 hits, 11 communities, 94 favorites, and 138 alerts. So thanks to everyone whose been reading, and made this possible.**

**RS: Yeah, thanks!**

**LR: Right! Let's get the ball rolling.**

**RS: (Pulls out a bowling ball) Whatever you say! (Rolls it at LR)**

**LR: NO! AHHHHHHHHHH! MY FOOT! YOU LITTLE *bleep*!**

Disclaimer: I OW don't own OW Naruto. Now OW meet my OW katana you OW little witch!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Team Outcast**

Link leaned against one of the trees in training ground five. He was here to meet with Tenten, the Weapon Mistress of Konoha, for a spar. Idly, he pulled out his ocarina, and started playing it. It was a hobby he had started doing after his adventures dealing with Ganondorf, and the Twilight Realm. He couldn't understand why, as he had never touched an ocarina before then. He decided it had to do with his previous incarnation, who had wielded the fabled Ocarina of Time.

As he was playing, Tenten approached. She stopped and listened for a few minutes, making her presence known. Link smiled as her, before putting the instrument away, and standing straight.

"Good morning, Tenten. Everything all right."

Tenten nodded. "Yeah. Sorry I'm a little late, but an ANBU came and told me that Tsunade-sama is reforming the teams, so I need to meet at her office at one. Anyways, Naruto tells me you're a weapon's expert, like me."

Link shrugged. "Well, I have a lot of weapons, but I wouldn't say I'm an expert. I have no real way to judge myself here."

Tenten smiled, as she opened her scroll on her back, and pulled out a sword. "Let's find out."

Link nodded, and unsheathed the Master Sword, and his Hylian shield.

The two clashed with swords for several minutes. Tenten was amazed at Link's almost straight forward style of fighting, as it was there were almost no feints or deceptions in it. And yet, Link's speed and skill were keeping him level with her.

Link was equally amazed at Tenten's skill with the sword in her hands. The way she moved it, and herself, was almost like liquid metal. Link only had three people who had ever been a challenge in sword to sword combat. The Hero Wraith, who taught him several skills, Ganondorf, and Naruto. Now, Tenten was added to the list.

Eventually, they parted, and stood facing each other, panting. Link nodded in amazement. "You're incredibly skilled."

"So are you. I wasn't expecting someone carrying a shield to move so fast."

Link smiled, as he sheathed his weapons. "Would you like to see some of my other weapons?"

Tenten nodded, while putting her sword back into the scroll. She then pulled out a ball and chain, attached to a thin bladed ax. Link nodded, before pulling out his ball and chain. Tenten gasped in amazement.

"That thing is huge! How can you even use it?"

Link smiled. "I guess I'm that strong."

Tenten pulled out her bow, with five arrows lined up on it. Link pulled out his bow, and showed her the combination of hawkeye, and bomb arrows. The two continued to compare weapons, until it was nearing lunch time. Tenten smiled, as she gathered up a spear and stored it away. "This was actually fun. I've never had anyone so interested in weapons, who I could talk to."

Link smiled as well. "It was my pleasure. Perhaps you could join me, Naruto, and Arren for more spars, when you have the chance?"

Tenten nodded. "Sure! I'd love to see what Naruto and his cousin can really do! Well, I need to go get some lunch. See you around!" With that, Tenten ran off, to eat, shower, and present herself to the Hokage with her teammates.

Link smiled, as he gathered up his weapons, along with a few Tenten had given him. Here in this new realm, he'd have no problem restocking on arrows. But bombs were another matter. Here, they used strange pieces of paper with seals on them, that exploded when activated. Link had practiced with them, when Tenten had shown him, and found that by concentrating on the one he had set down, he could blow it up. So now, he had a plentiful supply of explosives, that still worked with his arrows.

He was leaving the training ground, and was heading back to the apartment, when he head something that chilled his blood. He had faced hundred foot tall or long monsters capable of crushing him. He had fought creatures from another realm. He had fought hundreds of beings and monsters, all bent on destroying him. And, he had faced one of the most powerful magicians of all time. But none of that scared him like what he had just heard.

"LINK-KUN!" Ino was running up the street, heading straight for him.

_What have I gotten myself into?! _Link screamed in his head, as he ran as quickly as possible. Behind him, a huge dust trail marked the approach of the rabid fan girl- I mean Ino.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto, Arren, and Eflower all entered the Hokage's office. Tsunade looked up at them, and smiled.

"Arren, Eflower, it's good to see you both here. Now, I've been going over some of the information that Naruto provided me. Am I right to assume you are both jinchuuriki's?"

Arren nodded. "Yeah, but not as much as naruto is. He has one of the nine tailed beast's in him, while we have lesser demons in us. Still, we have our advantages."

Tsunade nodded, and continued to look over the information. "Well, from all intents and purposes, I'd say that Arren is at least low Jounin, while Eflower is a highly skilled medic, and a competent fighter. So, if you two want, I can make you both Shinobi of the Leaf. And, in time, you can re-establish the uzumaki clan, if you wish."

Arren and Eflower blushed, but nodded. Tsunade smiled. "Then Arren, you are now a jounin of Konoha, and Eflower, you are a chuunin. Here are your headbands."

Arren tied his around his around his arm, while Eflower tied hers around her neck. Tsunade glanced curiously at Naruto. "So, why are you still wearing your mom's headband? You're a shinobi of Konoha now."

Naruto shook his head. "I maybe a part of Konoha, but I'm not forgetting my roots. I'll gladly serve you, and this village. But I'm keeping my mother's headband."

Tsunade sighed, and shrugged. "It's your choice. So, have you've given thought to your team yet?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I want Arren and Eflower, since I'm familiar with their styles. Arren's speed backs up my power, and Eflower is a good medic. What we need to complete the team is a tracker."

Tsunade nodded. "So you want Shino or Kiba?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. I want Hinata-chan."

Tsunade arched an eyebrow. "Really? Why is that?"

Naruto sighed, and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Well, I think both Team 7 and 8 were screwed up when created. Gai's team had the perfect combination of power, skill, speed, and tracking. Team 10 worked, because their abilities just meshed together. But Team's 7 and 8 were too heavy handed in their abilities. 7 was made up of a power house, a kunoichi skilled in detecting genjutsu, and a guy who had plenty of close range support, aka, me. Team 8 had highly skilled trackers, but none of them had major stopping power, except maybe Kiba. Basically, the two teams would work well together, but suffered alone because they lacked what the other had. So, I want a team that balances out. And out of the three of them, Hinata-chan is the one who would best mesh with our personalities. Kiba would get into fights with me and Arren, and Shino would just sit there, not joining in any useless fun."

Tsunade sighed, as she nodded. "Can't deny your logic. You're right. When the others come, we'll set the teams up."

Naruto nodded. "So, where's ero-sennin? I need to get something from him."

"Stop calling me that!" Shouted the Toad Sage, as he hopped in through a window. "Now, what do you need?"

Naruto smiled. "Two things. I want the rest of Kyu nee-chan's chakra, and I want you to help me modify the seal."

Jiraiya's eyebrows went up. "How so?"

Naruto leaned forward. "I want Kyuubi to be able to leave my body when she wants, but her power remain sealed in me."

"Are you insane!" Tsunade yelled. "Let Kyuubi out!"

"_Ni-san, while I appreciate the offer, I don't deserve it._" Kyuubi said in his mind.

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not insane, and Kyuubi, I think you do deserve it. Kyuubi won't harm anyone, unless they deserve it. I want her to be able to experience life, not through me, but through her own self."

Tsunade sat on her chair, pulled out a sake bottle, drank from it, and rubbed her head. "You do know how much flak I could get for this?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "I'm going to do it, whether you help or not."

Jiraiya raised his hands in surrender. "You're just as stubborn as your old man was. All right. We'll do it after everything has been said and done today. Deal?"

Naruto nodded. "Deal."

In his head, Kyuubi was sniffling a little. Naruto entered his mind scape, and found himself in the living room of her apartment. Kyuubi was sitting in a chair, trying not to cry.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked. Kyuubi looked up at him.

"Why are you being so nice? I know we act like brother and sister, but I'm still the one who took away your chance at family."

Naruto sighed, as he sat down. "And if you were still the same demon from before, I wouldn't bother being this nice. But did that Kyuubi care about me, not as a means for survival, but as another person? Did that Kyuubi promise to help me with any problem I had? Did that Kyuubi treat me as family?"

Kyuubi shook her head. Naruto stood up. "You're not that Kyuubi anymore. You may have the same body, but you are someone completely different. And I think you deserve a second chance."

Kyuubi smiled, and hugged Naruto. "I promise I'll prove worthy of you kindness." She whispered.

Naruto just hugged her back. "Don't worry about it."

Naruto returned to reality, with Tsunade and Jiraiya were watching him. He smiled at both of them. "Just chatting with Kyu. So, when are the others coming?"

Tsunade looked at a clock mounted on the wall. "Right about.... now."

At that moment, the door opened, and the members of Team 8 entered with Kurenai. Hinata smiled at the sight of Naruto, and ran up to him, hugging him, and receiving a hug in return.

"Hey there beautiful."

"Hey handsome. I missed you."

Naruto kissed her. "Missed you too."

Kiba just huffed, while Shino stood there stoically. After a few minutes, Sasuke turned up. He just glanced around the room, then proceeded to a corner, and leaned against it.

Sakura and Ino came in next, followed by Shikamaru and Chouji, with Asuma bringing up the rear. He smiled at Kurenai, who smiled back.

(A/N: One of my readers pointed out that shouldn't Kurenai and Asuma be together at this point. Well, now I'm establishing their relationship. Sorry for the screw up)

Sakura and Ino both ignored Sasuke, and kept talking about Link, who Ino was obsessed about.

"Link-kun is so awesome looking. And he's fast too. He's so cool!"

Sakura sighed. "Ino, I thought you were done being a fangirl. Besides, you heard Arren. He's taken."

Ino muttered under her breath, while Team Gai entered. Lee immediately spotted Naruto and Hinata, who still had there arms around each other.

"YOSH! Naruto-san, it would do me great honor if you would accept my challenge to spar me!"

Naruto sweat dropped for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay Lee. Tomorrow at nine sound good!"

"Very good! I eagerly look forward to test your 'Flames of Youth' with my own!"

After several minutes, Kakashi finally poofed into the room, his face buried in his book. Jiraiya saw it, took it away, autographed it, then handed it back. Kakashi was about to explode, until he realized who had taken his book, and written on it. Suddenly he was on his hands and knees, bowing up and down, saying, "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy."

Naruto reached down, and pulled Kakashi off the floor. "Why is it that my sensei's from Konoha are all weird perverts? Except for Iruka."

Jiraiya was about to retort, except Tsunade's fist driving him into a wall kept him quiet. Tsunade turned to those gathered before her.

"Well, glad _almost_ all of you could make it on time. As I'm sure you're all aware, I'm rebuilding the teams that all of you were once on. There are a few differences though. Team's Gai, and the new Team Asuma will remain the same, as your team's chemistry works well. The changes will be focused on Team's Kakashi, Kurenai, and the new Team...."

"Outcast." Naruto said. "We're Team Outcast, as all of us were outcast's at one point or another."

Tsunade nodded. "The new Team Outcast, led by Naruto. These are the new Teams.

"Team Outcast will consist of Arren Pikku Uzumaki, Eflower Angelius, and Hinata Hyuuga, led by Naruto Namikaze."

Hinata heard those words, but it took her mind a few minutes to comprehend them. When it did, her eyes widened, her face became red as a tomato, and she slowly glanced up at Naruto. He smiled at her, before kissing her on the forehead. "Welcome to the team."

Hinata promptly fainted. Naruto chuckled, while Tsunade continued. "Team Kakashi will consist of Sasuke Uchiha, and these two." Two Anbu suddenly appeared. Both were rather young, not much older than any of those present, sensei's, Hokage's, and knocked out perverts excluded. One was a girl wearing a hummingbird mask, and with a med pac on her belt. She pulled it the mask off, revealing a beautiful young woman, with long purple hair.

"My name is Tori."

The other man, wearing a jackal mask, pulled it off, to reveal a man with short blue hair, and a scar running from his right eye to his chin. "I'm Zurui."

Kakashi nodded. "I've heard of both of you. You all ready have quite the reputation."

They both bowed. "Thank you, Kakashi-san. It will be an honor to serve under you."

Tsunade nodded. "As for Team Kurenai, you'll have Kiba and Shino still, but Sakura rounds it out as medic, and power house."

Sakura nodded. "Of course, sensei." She was a little disappointed not to be on Naruto's team, as she wanted to be with her friend from her previous team. But at least she wasn't with Sasuke. She, and Ino as well, had finally seen Sasuke for what he was. He looked cool, and was kinda handsome. But in the personality department, he was nothing special. Sakura glanced over at Lee, who she now beginning to notice. He was actually kinda cute, in a little puppy kinda way. And she knew he would be loyal, and love her. She smiled slightly, and thought about what it would be like to go on a date with him. Maybe she could get him out of the green spandex, and lower his voice a bit.

Tsunade nodded. "Well, now that has been taken care of, you're dismissed. I have nothing further to add."

They all nodded, bowed, and left, except for the new Team Outcast. Naruto turned to Jiraiya, who was getting off the floor.

"So, are we going to do this, or what?"

Jiraiya nodded slowly, getting his bearings back. "Yeah, we will. But first, we need to talk about Akatsuki. My internal spies are telling me that they are waiting outside Konoha, with two other members of Akatsuki, to ambush Yugito."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Internal spies? Who?"

Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade who shrugged. "If he's going to escort Yugito home, he should know."

Jiraiya sighed, before spilling the beans. "Itachi Uchiha, and Kisame Hoshigaki."

Naruto stepped back in surprise. "What? Those two are your spies? How can you trust them?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Look, let's just say that Itachi's slaughter of the Uchiha's wasn't all it was made out to be. It's an S-ranked secret, so I can't tell you, but believe me, he's not a bad guy."

Naruto shook his head. "Try explaining that to Sasuke, and all the other Uchiha's. I hate teme's guts, but I agree when he say's Itachi should be killed for what he did."

Hinata, now awake, was speechless, as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Finally, she spoke up. "Wasn't Itachi and Kisame the ones sent to capture Naruto-kun?"

"Exactly!" Jiraiya yelled. "That's why! They've been stalling, and giving Naruto all the room he needed to grow strong. They wouldn't capture him, even though they made it look like they were trying."

Naruto thought for a moment, then nodded. "Actually, that makes sense. I thought I was having too easy of a time out there, since Akatsuki made almost no moves against me. But still, how can you trust a guy who slaughtered his whole clan."

"Please, gaki, just trust me."

Naruto sighed. "Fine. But I'm not taking Yugito out there until I know I'm strong enough to wipe out any of Akatsuki, even Itachi if I have to. So, let's get this going."

Arren took Eflower's hand. "We're going to scram for a bit. See some sights, that sorta of thing. See ya!"

As they left, Hinata glanced up at Naruto's face. "Naruto-kun, what are you doing?"

Tsunade indicated Jiraiya, who was busy summoning a toad who looked like his top and bottom had grown on the opposite sides of a scroll. "Jiraiya holds the second half of Kyuubi's chakra, which was sealed away into something else. Jiraiya is going to help Naruto incorporate that power into him."

"After I purify it." Naruto said, pulling Fuzen Ate from it's storage seal on his arm. Jiraiya found what he was looking for on the storage frog, and pulled out a heavily sealed scroll, with the kanji for "Yin" on it.

"Here we. Do your thing, Naruto."

Naruto held his sword near the scroll. A dark red energy almost seemed to envelop it, while yellow energy covered the blade of the sword. The two energies clashed, until the yellow energy won, and drove the red energy back into the scroll. Naruto slowly sealed the sword away, then took the scroll.

"Done." He said. In him, Kyuubi smiled happily, at the prospect of being able to give Naruto her full power, and finally give him the chakra control he should all ready have.

Jiraiya smiled. "Good. Then let's step into a more private room. Hinata, if you wouldn't mind waiting here, I'll be back with your boyfriend in an hour or so."

Both Naruto and Hinata blushed, but only lightly. Naruto followed Jiraiya out of the office, and down some stairs, until they came to an empty room. Jiraiya closed the door, before grinning at his young apprentice.

"Excellent job beating Sasuke yesterday. I was hoping to see the Hiraishin, or the Rasengan though."

Naruto shrugged. "Didn't need them. Besides, with the limited control I have, the Hiraishin would have been more of a defensive move anyways."

Jiraiya sighed, then perked up. "You and Hinata seem to be getting along fine. Here, I want you to have this."

He handed Naruto a book, which he took a look at the cover. "Icha Icha Paradise? How to Please your Woman?"

"It has great advice." Jiraiya said, smiling. Naruto shook his head.

"Ero-sennin, we're not doing that for a while. Probably not unless we get married or something."

Jiraiya sighed, and took the book back. "Fine. Let's get this over with. I have 'research' to do."

Naruto pulled off his coat, sword, and shirt. He stood there, while Jiraiya examined the scroll with the yin chakra in it.

"Let's see. We need to place another seal over the current one, to strength it to contain the full power. Otherwise, you'll blow up, and Kyuubi will be free."

"Is there any way to modify it? So Kyuubi can come out?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Strangely enough, there is. Your dad went all out when designing this. Well, lets get to it."

Jiraiya pulled out an ink bottle, and brush, and began to draw a new deal over Naruto's current one. Fifteen minute's later, he finished the last stroke.

"Right. Everything looks good. Now, you may feel some pain, but it's perfectly normal."

Naruto just nodded, as Jiraiya ran through some hand signs, then placed his hands on the new seal.

"SEAL!" With that, the chakra in the scroll suddenly resonated with the seal on Naruto's stomach. It rushed out of the scroll, and into it's new home. Naruto yelled out in pain, while Kyuubi howled out. After several minutes, the last chakra left the scroll, and entered Naruto. He fell back, unconscious. Jiraiya looked over the glowing seal.

"Looks like it worked. Now, I just hope we can trust Kyuubi. And I hope she's really cute looking." He giggled perversely, only to be smacked by unconscious Naruto's hand.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The "Tscuhikage" made his way in front of the assembly of ninjas of Iwa. He looked over all of them, before speaking.

"My fellow shinobi! We have long struggled against our enemies, the shinobi of Konoha. But now, we have a chance to destroy them!"

As the ninja's murmured with each other, the Tscuhikage continued. "There is an ancient power, that resides somewhere in these lands! A power more ancient, and powerful than the biju's!"

As the ninja's gasped, the Tscuhikage continued. "With it, we will crush Konoha, and anyone else who would dare oppose us! Now go! Head through out the lands, and find me the power known as the Nexus!"

The ninja's looked at each other, then left. Two chuunin's thought something was weird.

"Did he seem a little off to you?"

"Yeah he did. But still, if this power is real, it could really come in handy. Especially dealing with that Namikaze kid."

The Tscuhikage smirked, as Ganondorf chuckled in the soulless bodies's mind. _Having a whole village to help me search is much easier. Soon, I'll have the power that I should rightfully wield._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto slowly sat up, groaning. Jiraiya came over to him.

"You okay kid?"

"Fine, except for a killer headache. Did it work?"

"I guess. Only you can really answer that."

Naruto slowly turned to his mind. _Nee-chan? Can you hear me?_

There was a sudden poof of smoke, causing both Jiraiya, and a now alert Naruto to jump back. When it cleared, Kyuubi stood there, in her now sixteen year old body. She was wearing a blood red shirt, with a fox head on it, and black pants that led down to a pair of sandals. Her eyes were still the crimson red, with black slits. Her long red hair was in a braid, that reached down to her mid back.

She looked around, before smiling at Naruto. "Ni-san? I think we did it!"

Naruto smiled, and hugged Kyuubi. Jiraiya just stood there, amazed at Naruto hugging the infamous Kyuubi no Kitsune. He was also amazed that a biju could have such a smoking body. He tried to silently reach for a pad, and pen, only to have Naruto glare at him.

"What did I say about writing about my nee-chan?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Fine, fine."

Naruto smiled back at his "sister". So, what do you think?"

Kyuubi slowly stretched, before moving over to examine the room. She stopped, and grinned at Naruto.

"It feels good to be free, if only in a limited way."

Naruto nodded. "Welcome to the living world again, Kyu."

At that moment, there was knocking at the door, followed by it opening. "Naruto-kun? Is everything all rig-"

Hinata stopped at the sight of a bare chested Naruto. She looked at his slightly muscular chest, and turned red, had a nosebleed, and then fainted. Naruto managed to catch her, and slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Ummm, Kyuubi? Can you hand me my shirt and jacket?"

Kyuubi snickered, as she handed them to Naruto. He placed the coat under her head, before pulling the grey mesh muscle shirt on. He gently wiped away the blood on Hinata's nose, and then kissed her. She giggled, and moaned somewhat sensuously.

"Mmmm...... Naruto-kun."

Naruto just smiled at her, before turning to see Jiraiya trying to hide the notebook he was frantically writing in. Kyuubi grabbed it, and tossed it to Naruto, who burned it in a second. Jiraiya sighed.

"Fine, I'll stop using Kyuubi and Hinata. What about Eflower?"

Naruto shook his head. "Unless you want two pissed off jinchuuriki's coming after you, I wouldn't."

Jiraiya sighed. "Such is the life of a Super Pervert Author. I'll go tell Tsunade it was a success." With that, Jiraiya left, while kyuubi came, and leaned over Naruto and Hinata.

"She is cute. I think you really did strike gold with her."

Naruto nodded, as he gently picked her up. "Let's find somewhere more comfortable to wait."

Kyuubi picked up the coat, while Naruto carried Hinata, bridal style.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Itachi sighed, as he looked out at his old home. It had been three days since arriving, and he desperately wanted to just return home. Despite what most people believed about him, he had emotions. He just kept up a cold and emotionless exterior ro frighten others. When he was with those who knew the real him, he led his mask down, and was just normal.

Right now, his love for his home was aching through his heart. Yet, it was loyalty for his home that got him into this position in the first place. In order to protect his village from civil war, he had been forced to slaughter the Uchiha clan, and become an S-ranked missing ninja. But his loyalty was, and always would, be to his home.

Nearby, Kisame rubbed his forehead in irritation, as Hidan And Kakuzu constantly bickered. His patience was nearing the breaking point, and he seriously wanted to take his sword, and shut the two of them up. But he had to wait. Wait until it was time, and they could join Konoha.

He leaned over to Itachi. "Are you sure this will work?"

Itachi just sat there. "Even if it doesn't, at least Akatsuki will be down four members, and make it that much easier to destroy."

Kisame sighed. "I've trusted you this far. Might as well see it to the end."

Itachi smiled. "Such loyalty. Just like with Zabuza."

Kisame smiled, as he leaned back, his eyes glazing over. "Now those were good days. The two of us would go out, have a few drinks, slaughter a few dozen enemies. I miss those days. But Zabuza met a good end, just the way he wanted it. To go down fighting, and not lying in a bed somewhere."

Itachi nodded. "And you?"

Kisame smiled. "Doesn't matter to me. Dying in bed, in battle, or on a executioners block. We all die sometime. Might as well live life to the fullest while we can."

Itachi sighed, and leaned back against the tree he was sitting under. Kisame glanced at him. "What about Sasuke? He'll probably kill you first chance he gets."

Itachi nodded. "He probably will. He may never forgive me for what I did. I can't really forgive my self. But.... who knows? Maybe I'm wrong, for once in my life."

"Now that's a scary thought."

"Indeed."

"Hey you two! Are you going to sit there all day, or help me get some food ready!" Kakuzu yelled over to them, while Hidan happily slaughtered some fish in a Jashin ritual. Kisame sighed.

"Time to deal with dumb and dumber."

Itachi merely stood up, his "mask" back in place. He sat down next to the fire, and began doing what he could to help make the meal.

"So, when do we hit the Nibi and Kyuubi?"

"I've heard a few sources say that the Kyuubi will be leading a team to escort the Nibi back to Kumo. When they are a distance away from Konoha, but still in the border, we strike."

Hidan nodded. "Good. Some more sacrifices for Jashin. That will make him very happy."

Kisame twitched, his hand going for the sword nearby, but Itachi stopped him with a glance.

"Yes. But Nibi and Kyuubi are not to be harmed more than necessary. Understood?"

"Yeah, I f*%ing get it. Jeez."

Itachi shook his head. _I wonder if she still remembers me?_

* * *

**All right. I need a favor. Since it's obvious that Itachi is a good guy, I need your help in deciding which if these lovely ladies is the one he is interested in.**

**Anko?**

**Ayame?**

**Or Shizune?**

**Please review with which one you think he should be with.**

**Also, my dear sister wont be joining me here, as she recently had an.... "accident".**

**Link: You mean you pushed her down the stairs.**

**LR: I did not! I was trying to help her, and she slipped!**

**Naruto: Dude, you pushed her down the stairs.**

**LR: I did not!**

**Arren and Eflower: Yes you did!**

**LR: Not!**

**Arashen: I'm not getting involved. (Turns off computer, while LR is fighting with the others) **


	11. Unlikely Allies

**All right. For Itachi's girl, the votes stand as such.**

**Ayame: 24**

**Anko: 11**

**Shizune 10**

**A lot of you like seeing dear Ayame with Itachi. Honestly I agree with all of you. Shizune is little too old, and Anko doesn't fit his personality well. Also, imagine the riff formed between father and son, if Itachi's dad saw him dating a civilian, instead of a strong kunoichi. **

**On a more serious note, I was reading Allan Pike's profile page, and really reading it, instead of just scrolling down to his stories. I really believe in all the things he has listed on it. The serious things. Please, take some time to read them, and think them over.**

**Sorry, but every now and then, I need to be serious.**

**Anyways, Allan is back, and you all know what that means. It's time for the reviewer chapters. So, if you want to pop up, and hang with the gang, review me, and I'll start posting you guys in before and after author bits.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**Unlikely Allies**

Naruto stretched out his sore muscles, as he sat in training ground 7, waiting for his team. The reason for those sore muscles? A certain green spandex wearing chuunin, who had sparred with Naruto, and with his high speed, at managed to land several hits. Naruto had given as good as he got, and Lee had gone to join his teammates, with a cut lip, black eye, and several bruises. He merely called them, "The signs of our most youthful spar."

Naruto had decided that it would be best if Hinata, Arren, and Eflower got to know each other better. He knew all three of them, but Hinata only really knew him, as did his cousin, and his cousin's girlfriend.

Naruto also wanted the whole team to spar, and show off their moves, so they could get a feel for each other's skills. That way, they could know what the other's could do, and help cover each other's weaknesses.

Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the picture of perfect beauty approach him. Hinata smiled, and hugged him, and earned a kiss in return. She giggled happily, before looking around.

"Where are Arren and Eflower?"

Naruto shrugged. "They'll be here soon. Arren is starting to take after Kakashi."

Hinata nodded. "Ummmm, Naruto-kun?"

"Hmmmm?"

"Your cosuin. He's almost ten years older than Eflower, but their going out. Is that right?"

Naruto chuckled. "Arren has a.... unique reason for his age. In reality, he's still a seventeen year old. His body just aged ten extra years due to a 'mishap'."

Hinata nodded. "Okay. So, what shall we do, while we wait?"

"Well, we could go sit over there, and watch the sky for a while."

"That sounds like fun!" Kyuubi's voice rang out, as she poofed into existence. Hinata was a little startled, but relaxed as she saw her love's adoptive sister.

"Kyuubi, it's good to see you again." Hinata said, as she bowed.

"Awwww, don't be all serious like that. I'm not some elder or something. And also, I don't think I like Kyuubi anymore. It's a name that.... brings up some.... bad memories." She said, become somber. Naruto nodded slowly.

"All right. What should we call you then?"

The red haired girl thought for a moment. "How about...... Daini? Daini Keiki Uzumaki?"

Naruto nodded approvingly. "Second Chance? It fit's. All right then. Hinata, meet my sister, Daini."

Hinata giggled, while the former Kyuubi smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Daini."

"And a pleasure to meet you, Hinata. My brother really lucked out with you."

"Yes, I did." Naruto said softly, kissing the top of Hinata's head. Hinata looked up at him, smiling with love and joy, before bringing their lips together into a passion filled kiss. Daini watched for several minutes, before she started making gagging noises. The two separated, looking a little sheepish.

At that moment, Arren and Eflower showed up. Naruto immediatley noticed two things different with them. One was Arren, who was carrying a bow made from burnished steel, with some seals placed along it. A quiver of black flighted arrows hung at his side, with more seals on it as well.

Eflower was also different, because she had a silver necklace on, with a small white sapphire with wings attached to it. She looked quite radiant with it on.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, while Hinata and Daini squealed over the necklace. "Arren, where did you get those?"

Arren smiled sheepishly, while rubbing the back of his head. "Well.... you remember when I was late to proctor your fight with Sasuke?"

Naruto nodded, and Arren continued. "I, um, I made some bets. Bets saying you would beat Sasuke in five minutes or less. Well, the odds of that happening seemed steep to everyone else, so they agreed. When the fight was over, well, I got more than a few hundred ryo's."

Naruto slowly came over, while the girls chatted away. "And you didn't think, to maybe give your hardworking cousin some of the money, considering I did all the work?"

Arren grinned. "Well, I didn't forget you. Here, this is your's." He handed over a large stack of ryo's, which Naruto thumbed through. He nodded.

"All right. Everyone, let's gather round!"

They did, while Naruto placed the money in one of his coat's many internal pockets, and Daini returned to the inside of him..

"I figured we should take a little time to get to know each other, since a few of us aren't well acquainted yet. "I'm Naruto uzumaki Namikaze. I like Hinata-chan, my cousin Arren, his girlfriend Eflower, my nee-chan, ramen, and training. I don't like stuck up emo's, people who prey on weaker people, and a few other people out there. My hobbies are training, and be with those who are precious to me. And my dream is to be the Rokudaime Hokage, and to marry a very special someone." Naruto glanced at Hinata, who blushed. "Your turn."

"My name is Hinata Hyuuga. I like Naruto-kun, his family, my father, nee-chan, and cousin, and cinnamon rolls. I don't like people who make other people feel inferior. My hobbies are training, pressing flowers, and being with those I care about. And my dreams are to change my clan for the better, and to marry the Rokudaime Hokage." Hinata blushed even more, while Naruto's blush almost equaled hers. Arren laughed, as he started.

"I'm Arren Pikku Uzumaki. I like training, my family, Eflower, my cousin's girlfriend, and sitting in the wild to admire nature. I don't like killing, and people who believe themselves superior because of a heritage, or bloodline. My hobbies are training, walking, and hanging out. My dream is to bring a new age to this world. One of real warriors."

"I'm Eflower Angelius, and I like Arren, his cousin Naruto, and his cousin's girlfriend. Also, I like walking, and studying new ways to heal people. I don't like killing, and those who can't distinguish between good or bad in people. My hobbies are training to be a good medic, and walking with my boyfriend, Arren. My dream is to be the best medic I can, and help Arren achieve his dream." Naruto smiled, before continuing.

"Now that we know about each other, you three are going to spar with me, so I can see exactly what each of you can do. So no holding back, okay?"

They each nodded, and Naruto beckoned to Hinata. "You first, since I haven't seen what you can do since I left."

Hinata smiled, as she settled into her Juuken stance. Arren snaked his arms around Eflower's waist, before performing his vanishing act. This time, Eflower vanished too. Naruto got into his own stance as Hinata began to channel chakra into her eyes.

"Byakugan!" The eyes became fierce, and veins appeared next to her eyes. Naruto just smiled.

"Good. Let's go!" With that, he launched forward. Hinata knocked aside the strike aimed at her head, and struck at his chest. He was surprised by her speed, but managed to twist out of the way in time. Hinata followed through with a mid level kick at his side He blocked it with one arm, while striking at her mid-section with his other fist.

The two traded blows. Naruto noted Hinata was a lot faster then she was the last time he had seen her fight, which was at the chuunin preliminaries. She was also stronger, her blows could testify to that.

Hinata was also amazed. She knew Naruto was a lot faster, stronger, and more skilled than before. She had seen him fight Sasuke. But there was a difference between seeing the changes, and experiencing them. Eventually, they separated, and hinata pulled a metal rod from her weapon pouch. It extended into her staff, which she held defensively in front of her. Naruto smiled, and drew two kunai knives, not wanting to break her staff with the reinforced steel of Uzu Izou, or Fuzen Ate. The two charged again, and Hinata struck first. She swung low at his leg, causing him to flip over the attack, only to reverse, and hit him with the other end in the gut. Naruto fell back, holding his stomach, before resuming his stance.

"Nice hit."

"Thanks. Now, Naruto-kun, it's time I show you one of my new moves." She held the staff behind her, while holding one hand up in half the hand sign for the rat.

"**Eight Trigrams, Buin Sixty-Four Strikes!**" With that, she swung her staff around, and struck him twice, followed by two more blows. As the number of blows increased, she separated top and bottom from the middle, so they acted as three separate, yet connected weapons.

"2 strikes! 4 strikes! 8 strikes! 16 strikes! 32 strikes! 64 strikes!" Hinata finished, landing a final blow, which sent him skidding back. He leaned over, panting, while Hinata hesitated.

"Naruto-kun? Are you okay?"

Suddenly, his chakra flared up, releasing the sealed chakra points. Hinata was momentarily blinded with her Byakugan, and stumbled back. When her eyes cleared, Naruto was in front of her, a kunai held right above her throat.

"Never let your guard down around a enemy, even in a spar. Other than that.... you're fantastic."

Hinata smiled at his words of praise, and reassembled her staff. Naruto nodded approvingly at it. "It's a fine weapon, and it fits you perfectly. Fast, agile, and deadly. Maybe you can show me some of your other moves another time. Arren! Your turn!"

Arren smiled as he passed Hinatafrom the rock he and Eflower were sitting on, and faced Naruto. "All right, cuz, time for a little bit of practice." Arren said, as he slid into his battle stance. His left leg was forward, and both palms open. His front arm was in front of his head, protecting it, while back arm rested diagonally across his body.

"Oh, and just so you know, I increased my weights, so this should be interesting."

Naruto smirked, as he slid into his own battle stance. "Interesting indeed."

The two watched each other for a few seconds, before Naruto rushed forward. Hinata was amazed to see his speed was even faster than in their fight.

Arren smiled, as he flickered from view, only to reappear at Naruto's side. He spun rapidly, launching a back fist at his cousin's head. Naruto ducked, the fist grazing his hair, before going with a right uppercut. Arren back flipped into a handstand, before twisting around on the spot, performing a helicopter kick. Naruto, caught off guard, was hit in the face, only to poof into a Shadow clone. Three more Naruto's descended on Arren. Two went into sliding kicks behind him, while the third jumped in the air, and was spinning into an ax kick.

Arren didn't even flinch, as the three Shadow clones came at him. He began to form his shields on his arms, while pushing off from the ground. He just barely dodged the sliding kicks, while flipping around. He kicked both of the sliding clones in the legs, before he finished the flip with a double kick to the clone in the air. He landed on his feet, his shields fully formed, as the three clones poofed out of existence. But he was panting, as he wasn't used to the weights yet.

Eflower watched with worry, as her boyfriend fought. She never liked fighting, even if it was a spar.

Naruto smiled, as he emerged from the trees. "Well, even with the weights, you're still pretty fast. But I'm done playing around."

"Bring it." Arren said, as he turned to Naruto, and slipped back into his stance. Naruto's smirk grew wider.

"All ready did."

Suddenly four more clones burst from the ground, each holding the same hand sign. "**Earth Binding Seal!**"

Four pillars of earth rose from the ground, each with a seal on the end of them. They streaked at Arren, before connecting.

Arren didn't even respond, other then to start spinning. Soon, a wall of shield appeared around the spinning Arren, deflecting the earthen seal attacks. The real Naruto waited, as Arren started to slow down, before charging forward, his right fist held at the ready. As Arren stopped spinning, he started to stagger a bit. The spinning defense had made him dizzy.

Naruto took this opportunity to slam his right fist into Arren's jaw. Then he jumped out of the way, as one of his clones set up for a earth jutsu.

"**Earth Style, Mud Land jutsu!**" That clone slammed his hands on the ground, creating a massive stretch of mud where Arren was standing.

Arren took the hit hard, and it snapped him out of his dizziness. When he saw the mud, he did a swift substitution with Naruto. Naruto was caught in the mud, and fell on his back. Suddenly "Naruto" blew up nothing more than a Divine Wind Clone. The wind caused mud to fly everywhere, except at the two girls.

To the naked eye, it seemed like the mud just went through Arren. In reality, he was moving fast enough to dodge all the mud. He raised his hands when he saw Naruto pulling out several tri pronged kunai.

"Okay, that's not good. Naruto? Shouldn't you save energy for your spar with Eflower?"

Naruto sighed, as he put the kunai away. "Right. Draw?"

"Draw. Now I really need a shower." Arren headed over to a nearby stream, with Naruto doing the same. They both used low level water jutsu's to clean each other off, before returning to the girls. But before Naruto could call Eflower forward, and ANBU with a wolf mask appeared.

"Namikaze-san. Hokage-sama requests your team's presence at the Council Meeting Room. It's urgent"

Naruto nodded, as the ANBu disappeared. "Well, let's go see what the baka council wants now."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Itachi destroyed the message from Jiraiya, before returning to the group. It wasn't even lunch time yet, and Kisame was all ready twitching, his hand grasping his blade's hilt. Itachi stepped into the clearing, ending the "Immortal Brother's" argument.

"I've confirmed it. The Nibi will be escorted to the Fire/Lightning border today. She will be escorted by the Kyuubi, and several other ninja's. If we strike fast, we should be able to secure the Nibi, and perhaps the Kyuubi as well."

"Then let's f$^%ing do it. I'm tired of waiting around in these f$%ing woods."

Itachi glanced at Kisame, and barely nodded. The message was understood.

_This is it._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"This is an absolute outrage! We have a valuable asset against Kumo, and we weren't told about it!" A civilian council member roared out. Other's nodded, as did a few of the Clan Head's. Naruto stood at one end of the table, Yugito by him, and his team behind him.

The Council had found out that Yugito Nii was a valuable ninja of Kumo, as well as one of their two jinchuuriki's. It didn't please them that such information was held from them, and even more so that she was being returned home.

"She is a demon spawn, and should be locked away! And if Kumo want's her, too bad!" Another civilian roared out. Naruto stiffened, while Yugito lowered her eyes.

Koharu glared at Naruto. "Why was this information held from us, Namikaze-san? It isn't wise for you to be doing such things, considering the thin ice you are on."

Naruto crossed his arms. "I made her a promise while I was still in exile. She merely wished to return home, and Akatsuki was after her. I promised to return her home, and I will. As for why I didn't say anything, I told the only person who needed to know. Hokage-sama."

"We deserve to know too! This affects the village!"

Naruto stood there, silent. But everyone present felt a cold rage coming off him.

"The only way this affects the village, is if she is not returned, and Kumo declares war on us for wrongfully imprisoning one of their shinobi."

"She's a demon!" A civilian cried out, only to nearly drop dead as Naruto's anger and chakra flared.

"**It is no business of your's! You civilian's sit here, acting so smug, and so powerful. Without the ninja's, you would be nothing but whiny little worms with no one to protect you! The point of the civilian council is to vote on matters that involve the civilian half of Konoha, and that's it! You have no right to interfere, or decided matters of shinobi!**" Naruto yelled, his voice turning demonic. Every member of the Council shrank back in fear, as did Yugito. Naruto calmed down, and glanced around the room.

"This is a matter involving ninja, and so only ninja should decided what happens. The civilian council was given too much power during the years of the Sandaime. No more. I promise all of you here, that if this Council doesn't shape up, I will resign from Konoha, and go to rebuild Uzu, like my cousin suggested. And I'll take and ninja's or civilians with me who want to go. Is that understood?"

The Council nodded, and Naruto smiled. "Good. Now please, continue your discussion."

Tsunade finally spoke, after several minutes. "I received a letter from the Raikage today."She held up the letter, with the Raikage's seal on it. "This came in from Kumo. We sent a message on the day Naruto and Sasuke fought, telling them we had found Yugito, and were waiting to escort her back home. The Raikage thanks us, and wishes to thank those responsible for her safety in person. Team Outcast, I have your first mission."

The four members of Team Outcast stood to attention, while Yugito moved back against a wall. Naruto came forward, so Tsunade could hand him the mission file.

"You're to escort Yugito to Kumo. At the border, you'll meet a team of Kumo ANBU, who will escort you the rest of the way in. I'm also sending Jiraiya with you, and will have Team's Kakashi and Gai waiting to support you, if necessary."

Naruto nodded. "What about in Kumo? If I remember, they tried to kidnap Hinata, when she was three. What will happen if we go in there?"

Tsunade held up another document. "The Raikage sent this as well. It is an official "Order of Protection" against any and all attacks from the shinobi of Kumo, against you and your team."

Naruto nodded, before turning to Hinata. "Hina-chan, will you be okay? We're walking into the lion's den on this one."

Hinata nodded. "I'll be fine."

Yugito added in. "I'll help. I promise no one in Kumo will harm her, or I'll tear them apart."

Naruto nodded. "All right then. Team Outcast! We leave in one hour. Let's move!"

With that, the group was gone. Tsunade looked around at the Council. "Well, does anyone else have anything to say?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

With in the hour, Team Outcast, as well as Link, had formed at the East gate, seeing as how it was the fastest way out of Konoha, without going over Hokage Mountain. Yugito was waiting patiently with them, but Jiraiya hadn't shown up yet. Hinata adjusted the new coat Naruto had bought her with his money, saying it was the first of many gifts he missed out in giving her while he was exiled. Hinata had blushed at the thought.

The coat was similar to Naruto's but it was a pale lavender color. The inside had many pockets, which she used to carry her retracted staff, some medicinal items, and a few storage and empty scrolls. She smiled, as she thought about some modifications she could make to the coat one day. Like an inscription along the back. She noticed Naruto had one, written in blood red thread. It read, "The Black Fox".

Naruto finally threw his arms up in the air. "He's worse than Kakashi sensei sometimes. I'll get him."

Naruto created a shadow clone, who immediately ran off. Twenty minute's later, they heard a loud yell of "ERO-SENNIN!" Followed by Jiraiya yelling, and the faint sound of screaming girls. Five minute's later, Jiraiya came running up to them, while a dust cloud rose in the distance.

Jiraiya raced past them, yelling, "Notimetowaitimportantmissionlet'sgo!" They all turned, to see Tsunade running up, a massive red vein on her forehead, and her eyes filled with bloodlust.

"JIRAIYA!" Tsunade yelled, as Team Outcast followed the Toad Sage, laughing.

They finally caught up with the old pervert a mile away, where he was catching his breath. Naruto chuckled. "Peeping on the woman's hot spring again?"

Jiraiya glared at him. "YOU ALMOST GOT ME KILLED! TSUNADE WAS IN THERE!"

Naruto stopped, gagged, and rushed into some bushes, and proceeded to vomit. At the same time, Daini poofed into existence, bashed Jiraiya on the head, before joining Naruto. Finally, the two of them joined the group.

"I can't believe your reaction to that was so strong, it affected me." Daini muttered, as she wobbled unsteadily. Naruto just drank some water, to rid his mouth of the taste.

After that, they started on their way. Daini, after calming Yugito down about her sudden appearance, and explaining she was Kyuubi, was chatting with the Nibi jinchuuriki, and through her, Nibi. Naruto was walking hand in hand with Hinata, while Arren and Eflower were doing the same. Jiraiya brought up the rear with Link, while muttering about "no good former apprentices", and "super powered teammates who should feel flattered".

Naruto glanced around, enhanced senses trying to detect any and all threats in the woods. Hinata would every so often look around with her Byakugan, but didn't see anything suspicious. "Everything seems fine." She whispered to Naruto.

"I know. But we need to be alert. Itachi and Kisame, along with Hidan and Kakuzu could attack at any time. And Itachi and Kisame will have to keep the charade up until the fight begins. Or, their charade could be a double charade."

Hinata glanced at him. "You don't trust them?"

"If you had seen Itachi break Sasuke's arm, then torture him, and have Kisame dang near kill you with that sword of his, you wouldn't trust them either. But I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.... for now."

Hinata nodded, while glancing around. She noticed Jiraiya was trying to get Link interested in one of his books. "Naruto-kun, I think Jiraiya is doing some you wouldn't approve of."

Link was a bout to cave in, and take the book that the strange white haired man was offering as "valuable help" with his girlfriend Ilia, when a small fireball burned the book into nothing. Naruto lowered his hand.

"Ero-sennin, please don't corrupt him. I doubt his girlfriend would appreciate it."

Arren and Efower started laughing, while Yugito shook her head. Jiraiya glanced at her, then smiled perversely, before whipping out another notebook, and started writing. "The Handsome ninja, and the Sexy Nibi Jinchuuriki." He mmuttered as he wrote, not knowing Yugito's enhanced hearing heard everything. She whirled around, kicked Jiraiya in a "special place", grabbed the notebook, and incinerated it with Nibi's chakra. Jiraiya cried as he rolled on the ground, holding his injured area. Naruto sighed, as he dropped his head.

"He's supposed to be my god father, and the sensei of the greatest shinobi Konoha has ever known."

Hinata smiled, and approached Naruto, only to jump back as a kunai landed in between them. Suddenly HIdan and kakuzu landed in the road ahead.

"Well, well. If it isn't the cat and the fox. How fortunate for us." Kakuzu leered. Hidan just smiled, gripping his scythe and javelin.

Naruto immediately assumed a defensive stance, pulling out Uzu Izou. Hinata followed suit, her staff extended. Arren joined them, his armor forming around him while his shields appeared on his arms. Link came forward, and stood next to Eflower and Yugito. He drew the Master Sword, and the Hylian Shield. Daini went back into Naruto's seal, while Jiraiya got up, and joined Link.

"Well well well. Who do we have here?" Arren slid into his fighting stance. "If I'm not mistaken, you're hidan and Kakuzu, right?"

"Our reputation precedes us." Kakuzu smirks. "Now, why don't you all just hand over Nibi and Kyuubi, and go back home?"

"I have a better idea. Why don't you two just surrender, let us kill you, and go on our way?" Naruto retorted, his grip on his sword tightening.

"Naw. I don't f$#ing think so." Hidan smirked.

"Well, since you are immortal, because you believe in that baka Jashin, we cant' kill you. But that just means I can go all out." Arren hit the release on his arm weights. Moving swiftly, he released his leg weights, which like the arm weights, created a massive crater in the ground. The total amount of the weights had reached 2,000 pounds. Arren glanced back at Jiraiya and Link.

"Naruto, the three of us can handle Hidan. You and Hinata should take the scarecrow."

Naruto smirked. "Good idea. What about the other two?"

"Itachi and Kisame?" Arren whispered, so as not to alert Hidan and Kakuzu. "We'll keep them in reserve. But Itachi can't have his Sharingan activated unless he's fighting."

Jiraiya nodded, as he heard Arren, and made discreet ANBU hand signs behind his back. Itachi, in the woods nearby, nodded as he saw them, and deactivated his Sharingan.

"We're to stay out of this, unless needed."

"Damn it! I wanted to kill Hidan." Kisame muttered, as he leaned against the tree, while Itachi just watched the fight.

_Naruto, how strong have you become?_

Kakuzu threw his hands up in frustration. "Are we going to fight, or what?"

Naruto shrugged. "If you want to." With that, he and Arren vanished, reappearing to strike at their opponents.

(A/N: The fights take place at the same time, but I'll be switching between them)

_Arren, Link, and Jiraiya versus Hidan_

Arren lashed out at Hidan with the full force of his arm, transforming it into a blur. The fist smashed into Hidan's head, knocking him back several paces. "Man I forgot how good it feels to have those weights off." Arren said, as he flexed his muscles. Hidan shook his head to clear it out.

"I must admit, that was one hell of a punch. But it's going to take more than that to stop me."

Hidan leapt forward, swinging his scythe down at Arren. Suddenly Link's shield appeared in front of him, blocking the scythe, while Jiraiya finished his hand signs.

"**Fire Style, Fire JetStream Jutsu!**" Jiraiya let out a thin, concentrated stream of fire from his mouth. It passed over Link, and struck Hidan full in the face. He backed up screaming, and holding his face, only to put down his hands and smirk. His face was burned, but was healing slowly.

"Still not enough. Haven't you got anything better?"

Arren grinned as Nature chakra covered his fist. "Say hello tothe one and only **Yosou no Fungeki! **" He said, before he charged forward. A sphere of energy formed itself in his fist as he opened it with a primal roar. He slammed his fist into Hidan.

Hidan managed to swing his scythe, and cut Arren's cheek, before being blasted back by the attack. Arren grabbed the slight cut, and looked at Hidan, who was standing up.

"Better, but no where near enough. Now the fun begins." Hidan immediately drew a strange seal on the ground, before licking the blood from his scythe. He turned into a weird voo-doo version of himself, and smirked as he readied his javelin.

"Say hello to the f%$#ing afterlife for me." Hidan said, before plunging the javelin into his stomach.

Arren's eyes widened as deadly pain seared through his body, but he didn't scream. His only reaction was to place both hands on his gaping wound in his stomach.

_Naruto and hinata vs Kakuzu_

Naruto's left foot smashed into Kakuzu's head, knocking him for a loop. Kakuzu crashed into a tree, before getting back onto his feet. He immediately went through some handsigns, and a giant blast of wind erupted from around him, and headed straight for Naruto. Naruto planted both hands on the ground, and a wall of earth rose up to shield him. Hinata joined him behind it, pulling out her staff. Her Byakugan was activated.

"Naruto, there's something off about him. It's like.... I think he has more than one heart or something."

Naruto sighed, leaning against the wall. "That's something I wish I knew ahead of time. I could really use Kakashi's Chidori right now. Oh well." Naruto listened, as the wind died down. "Get ready."

Naruto whirled, and shoved the wall of earth at kakuzu, before turning to Hinata, and cupping his hands together. Hinata caught on, and used his cup hands as a springboard to launch herself into the air.

Kakuzu jumped over the advancing shield wall, only to find himself heading straight for the Hyuuga girl's staff. She enhanced the strike with chakra, and smashed it down on his head, driving him towards the ground. Below, Naruto did a back flip kick, which connected with Kakuzu, and sent him flying into another tree. Only this time, one of the branches pierced him. Hinata landed next to Naruto, and momentarily gagged at the sight. She stopped when the figure stirred.

"Impressive, runt's. I haven't lost a heart in a while." Kakuzu pulled himself off the tree, his cloak ripping in the process. It revealed what looked like a corpse, with black tendrils coming off his body, and four masks on his back. One of the masks, with the symbol for earth on it, cracked, and fell off.

Naruto slipped into his battle stance, as Hinata backed up, and readied her staff. Kakuzu just smirked.

"Well, let's get a little more serious, shall we?" With that, he ripped the mask from his mouth, as several more tendrils sprouted from it. Suddenly he unleashed a barrage of fireballs from his mouth.

Hinata jumped in front of Naruto, retracting her staff and placing it into her jacket. She stood there with her feet together, one hand to the side, and another held in a sign of concentration.

"**Protective Eight Trigrams, Sixty Four Palms!**" With that, Hinata started smacking the fireballs away with chakra from her hands. Naruto's eyes widened in amazement.

"This is her new move, for those who have problems with Rotation. It's incredible."

Hinata concentrated on the fireballs, until the last one was deflected. She got back into her Jukken stance, only to hear a scream from Eflower.

_Back to the A, L, J vs Hidan fight_

Hidan yanked the javelin from his stomach, and then stabbed again at his heart. Arren's hands leapt to his chest. He started to stagger in pain, but his next act surprised everyone. He threw his head back and laughed long and loud.

Hidan was startled. No one had ever done this before. "What the hell is so f%$#ing funny?!"

"This fight is over." Arren said, as he stood tall, totally unaffected by the two gaping wounds. "You just made a big mistake."

"What the f%$ are you talking about!?" Hidan yelled, slightly disturbed as he stared at Arren. _He should be lying on the ground, dying._

Behind the fight, Eflower's eyes were wide. She had thought she had lost Arren, but now she knew something was up.

Arren smiled, and put his hand's together. "Why don't I show you? Kai!" Suddenly, he was gone, as was the blood on the ground.

As Hidan's eyes widened in shock, there was an explosion below him. Something hit is nech with enough force to snap it back. As he was launched into the air, Arren emerged from the ground beneath him, and followed him up. Arren's shields now had two very sharp sword like blades emerging from each of them. As Arren came out of the ground, he shouted "U!".

His first attack was followed up with a cross slash to Hidan's chest. Nature chakra surrounded Arren's hand again, as he shouted "Zu!".

Arren sliced off Hidan's arms, before stabbing him through the shoulders, deep enough to penetrate Hidan's heart. "Maki!"

Arren heaved himself upwards, and over Hidan, using his blades in the immortal villain. Sliding his blades out of hidan, Arren twisted around. Opening his palm up, he slammed the chakra sphere into Hidan's chest.

"Seishitsu!" He shouted, before ax kicking the follower of the death god towards the ground. As Hidan raced towards the ground, Arren sent a cutting wave of chakra through him, with it was a roar of "RENDAN!" There was a split second pause, before flames erupted from Hidan's body. There was a dull boom, as a wave of energy crossed the battlefield, sending parts of hidan flying. A crater formed under hidan right before he hit the ground, revealing the true force and power of the attack.

Arren landed on the ground, as smoke rose from the crater. Jiraiya's eyes were bigger than hubcaps, and his mouth was hanging to the ground. Link slowly sheathed his sword and shield, while Eflower cried happily, as she ran up to Arren, and hugged him. "I thought I lost you." She whispered.

"YOU WILL!" Hidan yelled from the smoke, as he emerged. Both his arms were gone, and the Akatsuki cloak was in shreds. His face was horribly disfigured, made even uglier by the snarl on his lips, and the bloodlust in his eyes.

"Come here, you little f$#er! I'm going to rip your arms off with my mouth!" Suddenly an arrow ripped into his chest. Hidan looked down, to see an explosive tag on it. He looked up at the green clad hero, who was holding his bow.

Link smirked as he put the weapon up. "Boom."

Hidan exploded into a dozen pieces. Arren whistled as he looked at Link's bow. "Nice." He said, before hugging Eflower to him. She was shivering in shock at what she had just seen. Lowering his head to her ear, he whispered something to her. Whatever he whispered to her calmed her down. He looked up at Link. "Nice shot. Pity you got to finish him off though. I'll need to fine tune that combo." At Link's puzzled face, Arren explained. "That was the first time I used it. To be honest, I made it up as I went along there."

Jiraiya, hearing that such a fearsome combo had been made up on the fly, fainted.

_Back to Hinata, Naruto, and Kakuzu_

Naruto was frozen, as he watched his cousin begin to die. Then Arren disappeared, and Naruto felt a surge of relief. He turned back to see Kakuzu was dumbfounded his partner had failed. Naruto took this moment to run forward, and stab Kakuzu through the heart. Kakuzu froze, then smirked at Naruto.

"Two down, but now you're too close." The tendrils wrapped around Naruto's arms, only to drop as Hinata's palm met with Kakuzu's gut, disrupting his chakra, and his control on the tendrils. Naruto leapt back, sheathing his sword.

"Time to end this." Suddenly, there was an explosion, and Hidan's head smashed into Kakuzu. The immortal Akatsuki looked up at his partner. "I think we're screwed."

"Itachi, Kisame, get out here!" Kakuzu yelled. The two did, but just sat back. Kakuzu looked at them. "What are you doing?!"

"Watching." Kisame said. Kakuzu was about to retort, except there was a whistling sound behind him. He turned to see Naruto holding a Rasengan with wind around it, like a shuriken blade. Naruto smirked.

"Behold, the completion of my father's jutsu. **Fuuton:** **Rasen-Shuriken**!" With that, Naruto rushed forward at high speed, shoving it into Kakuzu.

The attack blasted him into the air, while the wind ripped into his body. He screamed out, while the remaining mask's shattered. Finally, his dead corpse fell to the ground. Naruto panted, having successfully used that jutsu for the first time. Hinata came and supported him, while he turned to Itachi and Kisame.

"What took you so long?" He yelled at them.

* * *

**That's it for here. Sorry for the slow update, but me and Allan were trying something new here.** **Our update speed might decrease on chapters where Arren and Eflower fight. Anyways, like I said, the reviewer chapters are here. So if you want to hang with the gang, send me a review with what you want to say, or act like. I do two people per chapter, just so you know. **


	12. True Natures

**I hope you all are psyched. Because here it is, the first REVIEWER CHAPTER!**

**RS: Yeah!**

**LR: Today's guests are Morning Strider, and The Booklovers, who will be referred to as BLR**, **and BLA**.

**Naruto: MS? He's back?**

**MS: Yep, I'm BACK! Hello everybody!**

**BLR: HI!**

**BLA: Hey.**

**RS: YOU! (Pulls out baseball bat)**

**MS: Woah, woah, woah. I'm not going to steal Batty or your poster. Relax.**

**Arren: LR, who are these guys?**

**MS: Hey, Arren! How you doing?**

**Arren: Good.**

**MS: Great! So, when are you going to marry Eflower? When will you have kids? **

**Eflower: Well....**

**MS: When are you going to rebuild the Uzumaki clan? When are you going to show off your angel powers? How did you survive against Hidan? Huh? Huh? Huh?**

**Arren: (Stony face) LR, can I please kill him?**

**LR: No, but you can maim him.**

**Arren: That will have to do.**

**MS: AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! (Runs for the hills**, **with Arren behind him)**

**Just as Arren is about to catch MS, a sudden explosion rips through the Ranger Lair, and a shadowy figure emerges**

**U.P.#3: DIE ARREN!**

**The figure starts to form an energy ball, only to be slammed by Allan at high speed.**

**AP: No one likes a party crasher.**

**Allan starts to pulverize shadowy figure. Arren drops his weights, and joins in.**

**BLR: Hey, Arren's weights! (Picks them up, and begins to strap them on)**

**Naruto :You don't want to do that.**

**BLR tries to run, and falls over, creating a massive crater. Allan and Arren are still fighting (insert villain's name here)**

**RS: Any one want chocolate?**

**BLA: EEEWWWWW, I hate chocolate!**

**RS and BLA start to fight. LR just drops his head.**

**LR: Why do I do this to my self?**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Zelda, Arren or Eflower. But I do own Uzu Izou, and Fuzen Ate. THEY ARE MINE!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**True Natures.**

Naruto stirred the small fire that he and Itachi had made. After he had recovered enough to stand on his own, Naruto had suggested they seal Kakuzu's body, and Hidan's still yelling head, into a storage scroll. The bounties on them were quite vast, and who ever took them down would have a serious up in their reputation.

Afterwards, they had moved on, with Itachi and Kisame in tow. Yugito hadn't been happy at first, but with a little persuasion from Jiraiya, she had accepted them. Then Jiraiya had tried some more persuasion, and had earned two more kicks from the Nibi container, and from Eflower. He was now currently walking with a giant ice pack secured to a sensitive area, and his voice was a couple octaves higher.

As night had begun to approach, they had set up camp. There were two large tents, capable of supporting up to five people each. One for the girls, and one for the guys. Afterwards, he had gathered wood for the fire, which Itachi had started with a small fireball jutsu. He glanced over at Itachi, who had shed his Akatsuki cloak, and burned it himself. Underneath, he wore the standard armor of a Konoha ANBU, and had a katana strapped to his back. Next to him, Kisame was wearing a long blue coat, similar to Naruto's but without the pockets, and much bigger. He had a shirt underneath with a shark coming out of the depths, and a message, saying "Don't mess with the deep". His pants were torn in a few areas. He smiled as he slipped his sword onto his back.

"Feels good to be out of those robes. They were really annoying."

Itachi just nodded, before coming over to the fire, and sitting down, opposite of Naruto. The blond jinchuuriki looked up at him, and once again, felt his suspicions rise.

"Itachi, I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Why? Why did you slaughter your whole family?"

Itachi glanced at Naruto, then looked down at the fire. He was silent for several minutes, then sighed, and broke a branch, adding it to the flames.

"If I tell you, it must remain an S-ranked secret, until the Hokage says otherwise. Do you all understand?"

The others, who had now gathered around the fire, nodded. Except for Link, who looked confused.

"What is he talking about?"

Itachi glanced at the hero. "Just promise not to tell anyone. Otherwise, problems may arise for Konoha."

When Link nodded, Itachi began his tell. "As most of you know, I was considered the prodigy of my clan. I was a jounin in the ANBU ranks before I was twelve. I was a captain by the time I was thirteen. I was one of the strongest shinobi of Konoha, and was practically expected to one day become the Godaime Hokage. But what really set me apart was how different I was from the other Uchiha."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, as Itachi explained. "My brother has surely said how superior he is, because of the Sharingan? That is what every member of my clan believed. To posses the Sharingan immediately made you elite. I, however, thought that one's true measure came not from a bloodline. I pushed my self to be strong without it, so I could fight with or without it, surprising my enemies."

"I knew all about Kyuubi's attack, as I was told the minute I became a jounin. I also heard the rumors that it was the Uchiha who had caused the attacks, as our Sharingan eyes could control biju like him."

"Her." Daini said, as she came out. "I'm a her."

Itachi's eyes widened, while Kisame grabbed for his sword. Naruto held up his hands. "Easy. She's not going to hurt you."

Kisame kept his hand on his hilt, but slowly sat back down. Daini looked over at Itachi, with a mixture of remorse, and disgust.

"While it's true that the Sharingan eyes can affect me, that's not what happened. I was bored, so I attacked, of my own free will. Because of that, though, your clan came under suspicion. Then you wiped them out."

Itachi nodded. "I did, but not how you may think. Undoubtedly, the it has been said that I was crazy, or that I lusted for power. The truth is far worse, and that is why it cannot be revealed to anyone else, just yet."

"I'm not sure they need to hear it." Jiraiya said. Itachi looked over at him.

"If I'm to have their trust on this mission, they need to know."

Jiraiya shrugged, and Itachi continued. "As Kyuubi-."

"Daini. My name's Daini now."

"Very well. As Daini said, the Uchiha had no part in her attack on Konoha. But the rumors were too much, and people began to think the Uchiha clan would take over Konoha in a civil war. In response to these rumors, my clan actually did start making plans to rebel, in order to ensure their survival, and their superiority. I did not agree. My loyalty was to the village I served, especially since I was rather upset with my father."

Kisame snickered, while Naruto and Arren looked over at him. Kisame smiled.

"Sorry, but given my first impression of Itachi, what you're about to hear made me laugh my pants off."

Itachi glared at him, before turning to the others. "When I was younger, about six, I found a new food stand that had just opened, named Ichiraku Ramen." Naruto gasped, as Itachi smiled. "You know of it? Well, it had just opened, and I decided to try it out. When I entered, the man who ran it was teaching his six year old daughter, Ayame, how to make the ramen noodles. I placed an order, and talked with Ayame for a bit. Before we knew it, the two of us were friends."

Itachi smiled, before it faded. "My father didn't like the idea of his prodigy of a son having friends, especially with a 'lowly cooking wrench', as he called her. I remember being furious at him, and I went to see her, just to spite him. Eventually, we became close, and I at least began to think of her as more. I didn't tell my father this, because he would have done something to separate us."

"So, you were angry at your dad, because he wouldn't let you be with Ayame? So, what happened next?"

Itachi's eyes became somber, and he lowered his head. "I became a spy in the Uchiha clan, for the Sandaime, and the Council. I passed them information, including when I ran into a certain someone."

"They don't need to know about him!" Jiraiya yelled. Everyone looked at him, before turning back to Itachi, who was nodding.

"Yes. Well, this someone had a grudge against the Uchiha clan, and happens to be a major part of Akatsuki. So, I pretended to be his pupil, while passing information I gained from him back to the Sandaime. Eventually, things with the Uchiha became too much, and the Elders, and Danzou, came to a decision. They ordered the massacre of the Uchiha clan."

Naruto's eyes went wide, and Hinata and Eflower gasped. Arren slowly gripped the branch in his hands, until it broke, and Daini looked away. Link shook his head.

"Why? Why would they do that?"

"Because the Uchiha were almost ready to make their move. The Sandaime didn't approve, but in the end, he was outvoted. He gave the mission to me. For the good of Konoha, and under the condition that Sasuke would be spared, and protected, I enlisted my 'mentor' into the scheme, and we slaughtered the Uchiha. I wanted to spare my mother, and a few others, but he got to them first. The rest, you know."

Naruto shook in anger. "So, those three did it, huh? They had you wipe out your clan, and forced you into hiding."

Itachi nodded. "But, there is good news. I was able to help spy on Akatsuki, and enlist Kisame to help. The Sandaime even promised to let me return one day. The Godaime has the necessary records to prove my loyalty, and help me return home, and even bring Kisame back with me. There are only four obstacles."

"Sasuke, the two elders, and Danzou? Make it only three. Danzou was working with Orochimaru to kill me, deliver Sasuke to Orochimaru, and take over Konoha. He's now locked away, and facing possible execution."

Kisame smiled wickedly. "I hope we return in time to see it. I love a good execution."

Itachi nodded. "The only major problem is Sasuke. I fear his hatred of me may be too strong to listen to reason."

Naruto shrugged. "We'll just have to find out, won't we? But now I understand you, Itachi. You have a loyalty to Konoha that I've never seen before."

"Yes you have. In you." Itachi smiled. "Naruto, you have endured countless torments, and hatred unlike any other. Yet you have remained strong, and loyal to your village. You have suffered more than I ever could. Your loyalty is the strongest I have seen in the world."

Yugito looked over Naruto, with new found respect. She had heard and seen the villagers in Konoha mistreating him. The civilian Council members had furthered her confirmations. Naruto had been mistreated by his village. Something she had not known, as the Raikage cared for her, and Killerbee. He had made sure the village understood the truth behind the two of them, that they were the container's of their biju's. Not the biju's themselves. There were a few who still hated them, but most of the village cared for them, and treated them with respect.

Naruto just shrugged off Itachi's compliments. He looked up at the night sky. "We should get some sleep. I'll keep first watch. Who wants second?"

They finalized the sentry schedule, then everyone went off to bed. Naruto sat back in a tree, and attuned his senses to the wild around him.

Two hours later, Arren took over, while Naruto headed to the boys tent. He slipped off his sword, coat, and weights, before slipping into his sleeping bag. Suddenly, a figure entered the tent, came over, and laid down next to him. He caught a scent of lavender, and cinnamon, as Hinata snuggled next to him.

"Hinata-chan?" He whispered to her. She merely hugged him, and he opened his sleeping bag, allowing her to climb in next to him. She kissed him, before closing her eyes. "I didn't want you to be alone. And I didn't feel like being alone either."

Naruto smiled, and wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed her back, while kissing her head. "Good night then, sweet hime."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Kumo, three shadowy figures gathered together in a dark room. One of them nodded. "It has been confirmed. One of the ninja's returning Yugito is a Hyuuga from the Main family."

The second figure turned to the third. "Now is the time to complete the work of the Sandaime Raikage. He wanted the Byakugan here in Kumo, unlike the demon lover who is our current Raikage."

The third figure raised a hand. "We must be careful. He has given them protection, and the others are strong, or so I've heard. One of them is the Kyuubi jinchuuriki."

"Then we must be subtle, and move quickly. We will capture this Hyuuga, and learn her secrets, before disposing of her. Kumo will receive backlash for this, but with the power of the Byakugan, we will be able to deal with any enemies we come across."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The group crossed the border, where they were met by two squads of Kumo ANBU. The ANBU heartily welcomed Yugito backed, before thanking the others. Itachi and Kisame had decided to hang back in Konoha territory, where they would wait until Naruto and company had finished the mission. As it stood, both were still high level targets in the Bingo book.

The ANBu escorted them through the mountainous terrain of the Land of Lightning, and in three days time, they had arrived at Kumo. There, they ere met with a large group of people, who cheered the return of their fellow shinobi. Yugito found herself in a massive bear hug from a huge, dark tanned man. The guy had eight swords sheathed on his back, a scarf around his neck, and black pants. His head was covered with a white bandana, and he had on a pair of sunglasses.

"Yugito! Man, am I glad you're all right!" The massive man said, while Yugito slowly turned red, then blue. Naruto came over.

"You might want to release her, before she suffocates."

The man did that, and Yugito barely managed to land on her feet. She gasped a few times, before finally standing up straight.

"Good.... to see.... you too. Naruto, this is.... Killerbee, the Haichibi's jinchuuriki. Killerbee, meet Naruto Namikaze, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki."

Killerbee smiled at Naruto, and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you kid. Like little Yugi said, my name's Killerbee."

Naruto nodded. "Nice to meet you. And Haichibi? Daini says she hasn't seen him in a while. Not since they fought because she caught him cheating on her with Yonbi."

Killerbee chuckled nervously. "Yeah. He remembers that too."

Naruto cocked his head, listening to Daini. "She says that as long as he keeps his filthy tentacles to himself, they wont have a problem."

Jiraiya came up. "All petty squabbles aside, can we please see the Raikage now? There are matters that I need to discuss with him."

"Jiraiya of the sannin? Of course. Come." Killerbee and Yugito led the way towards the hokage Tower, imbedded in the side of a mountain. No one except Naruto and Daini noticed the stares coming from an alleyway, which were directed towards Hinata.

_Something's up, nee-chan. We need to stay on guard._

"**I agree. We shouldn't leave hinata alone. I'll stay with her, when you can't.**"

Naruto nodded, as he edged closer to Hinata, and took her hand. She smiled at him, and squeezed his hand.

The group entered the massive tower, and were led all the way up to the Raikage's office. Inside, it was furnished almost to Spartan standards. Almost everything in there had a purpose, and very few things were simply for decoration. The Raikage slowly stood up from his desk, and every member of the Konoha group gasped.

The Raikage looked like a bigger version of Killerbee. He had the same tan, and they looked a lot alike. The difference was the Raikage was taller, ripped like a mountain, and wore the Raikage robe and hat over a pair of black pants.

The Raikage smiled, and opened his arms, while yugito came over, and the two hugged.

"How's my little nee-chan?" The Raikage asked, in a deep voice. For a moment, Naruto felt a flash of envy, as he watched the two. Then he remembered the hand in his, and the envy disappeared, as he smiled at Hinata. Maybe he hadn't had something like this in Konoha. But he had someone that made everything worthwhile now.

The Raikage looked up at the Konoha group. "I thank you for returning Yugito to us. We feared the worst when she disappeared on a routine patrol. My heart is gladdened that she found help."

Jiraiya bowed. "If there is any honor in this, it should go to Naruto Namikaze. He is the one who swore to bring her home, and protected her from some of our more.... 'spirited' Council members."

The Raikage nodded. "Indeed." He turned to Naruto. "You have my thanks. If there is anything you need help with, let me know."

Naruto nodded. "And the same to you."

Jiraiya smiled, as he stepped forward. "Before we leave, there is a matter we must discuss. It invloves those who attacked Yugito."

The Raikage clenched a fist. "Do you know where they are? Tell me, and I'll crush them like worms!"

Naruto held up the storage scroll. "Their in here. One is dead, and the other.... is not really going anywhere."

The Raikage looked at the scroll. "They were defeated?"

Naruto nodded. "They ambushed us on the way up here. We defeated them. But this just makes Akatsuki more desperate."

"Yeah. My spy network has been working over time, and we've discovered a few things. Like their leader, Pein, is one of the most dangerous ninja's ever. He could probably beat me in a battle, considering he decimated Itachi, before forcing him to join Akatsuki."

The Raikage nodded. "Well, this is troubling news indeed. Yugito, Killerbee. I need you two to stay close, from now on."

The two nodded, while Jiraiya held out a scroll. "That may not be enough. The Hokage sent this with me. She wanted me to talk to you about a possible alliance against the threat of Akatsuki."

The Raikage took the scroll, and looked it over. "I'll talk to the council about this. Many of them could be in favor of an alliance, especially with the aid you have given us. I should have an answer by tomorrow."

Jiraiya nodded. "We'll find a hotel to stay in then."

"You will not. The people who saved my nee-chan will stay here in the Tower. ANBU! Give these people the finest rooms you can. Alos, you all are free to look around, as long as it is not to spy."

They bowed, and followed the ANBU to a set of rooms. Jiraiya took one with Link, while Eflower and Arren took another one. Naruto turned sheepishly to Hinata. "Ummmmm.... I can-."

"I don't mind." Hinata said quickly, before entering their room. She placed her backpack on the bed, removed her sandals, and laid down. Naruto did the same, except he sat in a chair nearby. "So, what shall we do?"

Hinata glanced around. "I suppose we go out, and take a look around. But in a bit. I just want to rest."

"All right. Maybe they'll have some ramen place here."

Hinata smiled at him. "You are so different, and yet, still the same."

Daini came out at that moment. "I'm just glad to be away from Haichibi." She muttered, crossing her arms. Naruto glanced at her.

"He really hurt you, didn't he?"

Daini just looked away, and Naruto sighed. "Maybe Shukaku wouldn't be so bad. At least he treated you decently."

Daini sighed. "I doubt he would want me, especially after the butt whopping we gave him during the Oto/Suna invasion."

Naruto suddenly did a double take. "Wait a minute? Are we talking about the love lives of biju's? Never expected to do that in my life."

The threeglanced at each other, and after a small pause, burst out laughing. Daini was cheered up, and the three spent time talking to each other. Eventually, Naruto's stomach, and Hinata's growled in hunger. Daini smiled, and disappeared into Naruto, as he and hinata got ready to leave. Naruto stopped by Jiraiya's apartment, and told him they were going out for a while.

The two of them left the Tower, and wandered the street's. Kumo was similar to Konoha, except the buildings were all made of a darker color of stone, making the buildings look somewhat depressing. However, the people were far from depressed. They went about their business, most with smiles on their faces. A few even shouted greetings to the two Konoha shinobi. A few others pointed to the headband Naruto wore, which bore the symbol of Uzu. Kumo had been on somewhat friendly terms with Uzu, and while the destruction of it hadn't affected them, they still felt saddened by the loss.

Naruto and Hinata stopped at a restaurant, where they couldn't find ramen, but naruto enjoyed his meal anyways. They talked, and fed each other, and just did things a normal couple would. After paying for the food, they walked around the village some more, taking in some of the site's, and keeping away from areas that would be deem off limit's.

Eventually, with night falling, they headed back to the Tower. They were passing through an alleyway, when Naruto heard the soft sound of a knife cutting through flesh, and a slight "Grk." He immediately put all senses on alert, and found they were surrounded by three Kumo shinobi. He gently pulled hinata close.

"We're about to be attacked. Get ready." Hinata nodded, and slowly slid a hand into her coat, clutching her staff.

Suddenly, a kunai whirled out of the darkness, straight for Naruto. He whirled around, grabbing it by the hilt, before it could enter him.

"You three might want to come out now."

Suddenly, the three ninja's appeared. They each wore a mask like an ANBU, but had a small thunder cloud with a lightning bolt on their shoulders. Naruto sighed, as he looked them over. "Who are you?"

"We are members of the ANBU Thunder division. We are hear to collect the Hyuuga, and bring her in for her Byakugan. Surrender, as you have no chance against us."

Naruto snorted, as he drew Uzu Izou. "Really. You guys remind me of Root back home. Except there is no more Root, because it's leader is in jail, and will probably be executed soon for treason. Looks like the same may be happening in Kumo."

He glanced at Hinata. "Let's take one alive. Preferably the leader."

Hinata nodded, as she extended the staff. With a simple nod to each other, the three Thunder ANBu charged forward.

Naruto moved to one side easily, as the katana from his opponent came slashing down. He smacked his opponent with the flat side of his sword, causing the man to jump back, rubbing his stinging arm. The other man charged Naruto too, while the third faced against Hinata.

Naruto backed himself against a wall, keeping his enemies from circling around behind him. He watched the two of them, waiting for one to make a move. The one he had smacked with his sword did that, and jumped at him, swinging his sword down at Naruto again. Naruto blocked it, then blocked the fist aimed for his head. But the other used this moment of distraction to charge, and prepared to run his sword through Naruto.

Naruto glanced at the coming enemy, and performed the Substitution with his locked enemy at the last moment. The charging ninja drove his sword into his own comrade, before receiving a back hand across the face.

Hinata parried a sword swipe away with her staff, before swinging one end down, smashing the hand holding the sword. Her enemy punched her in the face, knocking her back. But like naruto taught her, she used the momentum to flip over, and stand ready as her opponent went through several hand signs.

"**Lightning style, Ten bolt's jutsu!**" As the name implied, ten lightning bolts sprang from his fingers, and headed for Hinata. She bent back, using her amazing flexibility to duck backwards under the attack.

(A/N: Think of the ever popular rip off move from The Matrix)

She came back up, as her opponent charged, and struck him in the arm, chest, and stomach with her Juuken. He fell back, clutching his stomach, before looking up. Behind his mask, he was glaring, but there was a little fear in his eyes as well.

Hinata stood ready, her staff in hand. She analyzed the situation.

_My taijutsu and staff are keeping him at bay. If only we were near water, I could use some of my jutsu's. I need to find out what my secondary element is._

She decided to go for a range attack, and pulled out a couple of shuriken, launching them at her opponent. He sneered, and blocked them easily, only to find she had unlinked part of her staff, and that it was heading straight for his face, attached to a chain. It flared with chakra, before smashing into his face, destroying his brain. Hinata pulled the section of staff back, before retracting it, and putting it away.

Naruto dodged the lightning bolt aimed at him, followed by another. His opponent had leapt up onto a roof top, and was launching various ranged attacks at him. Finally Naruto got behind some cover. He sheathed his sword, and put his hands together into a familiar hand sign.

The Kumo Thunder ANBu watched the cart the blond ninja had ducked behind. Suddenly, said ninja popped out, in a mad charge. A tri-pronged kunai hit the roof in front of him, before he threw a kunai of his own. It hit Naruto, only for him to disappear in smoke. Suddenly the real Naruto appeared in front of him.

"Hi." Naruto jabbed at the man's chest. Ice suddenly formed over the Kumo shinobi, turning him into a statue. Naruto sighed, as he pulled away.

_Have I mentioned how much I love the fact that each of your tail's controls an element?_

"**You might have mentioned that, nii-san.**" Daini giggled as Naruto created two clones to carry the ice statue. He came down to join Hinata, who was waiting for him.

"Well, that was exciting."

Hinata nodded. "It was. Naruto-kun, you wouldn't happen to know how to find out a person's element type's, would you?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not without chakra paper's. But Arren can. We'll ask him." Naruto created two more clones, who picked up the bodies of their other enemies. They began the trek back to the Tower.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The Raikage was not in a good mood. Most of the Council of Kumo had supported the Alliance. But those old fools that had been the Sandaime Raikage's advisors had refused the idea, and stalled for more time. The issue couldn't be decided until tomorrow.

He sat at his desk, finishing the last of his paperwork, when there was a knock at his door.

"Come in." The Raikage was surprised when Naruto Namikaze entered, along with hinata Hyuuga, and the head of his ANBU.

"Is something wrong?"

"Raikage-sama. Three of our shinobi attacked Namikaze-san, and Hyuuga-san. They were identified as members of the ANBU Thunder."

The Raikage jumped to his feet. "What? Why did they attack!?"

Naruto nodded to Hinata. "They were sent for her Byakugan."

The Raikage slammed his fist on his desk. It would have broke, if not for the five different seals on it, preventing it from being broken. They had gone through seven desks, before they figured that out.

"Damn it!" He settled down, and bowed his head at them. "Forgive my outburst. I'm sorry this had to happen. My predecessor wanted the Byakugan, and ordered the kidnaping all those years ago. Unfortunately, some of his allies still cling to his ways and beliefs. And it is apparent they are in control of the Thunder division of the ANBU."

The Raikage turned to his ninja. "Order all members of Thunder to stand down. None are to be on active duty, until I say so. Then find out who ordered the attack. Go."

As the ANBU disappeared, the Raikage sat back down. "I hope this won't affect Konoha wanting an alliance with us."

"Not at all. If anything, this will give you a chance to take out you enemies on the Council. Use this to either get them on your side, or deal with them as traitors, and war instigators." Naruto said simply. The raikage nodded.

"The matter will be decided tomorrow. Until then, it might be best for you to stay here. I'll have my best people guard you."

Naruto nodded, and he and Hinata returned to their room. He slowly pulled her close, and wiped a stray strand of hair from her face.

"Are you okay? I saw you take out that one guy."

Hinata nodded. "It was.... disturbing. But I was protecting you. They would have killed you, and I would never let that happen. I'll be okay."

Naruto smiled, and gently kissed her. "Well, shall we get some shut eye?"

Hinata nodded, and took her backpack into the bathroom. Naruto quickly changed into a shirt, and pajama pants. Hinata emerged in a long night gown with straps. Naruto smiled at her, before slipping into the bed. She joined him, and the two snuggled together, before falling asleep.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The Raikage quickly called a meeting the following morning. He revealed the attack on Hinata Hyuuga, who was under the Raikage's protection. He also revealed who had ordered the attack, which happened to be those who had opposed the alliance. They were quickly arrested, and the Council voted for the alliance. With that, and many thanks from the Raikage, the Konoha group headed back home.

As they passed over the border, Itachi and kisame joined them. Naruto related everything that had happened to them. Kisame sighed at missing out on a good fight, while Itachi merely congratulated Naruto and Hinata on defeating enemies of supposedly "superior" skill.

Naruto turned his attentions back towards home. "It's going to be tough, getting you two home without anyone noticing. The Elders may try to silence you, Sasuke will want to gut you, and Kakashi Hatake as well. Not to mention almost the entire shinobi force, and the civilians too."

Itachi nodded. "We'll have to think of something."

As they were walking , Naruto suddenly smiled. "I have the perfect idea."

* * *

**LR: Well, who can guess what my idea is? How will they get Itachi and Kisame into Konoha? Guess, and I'll tell you if you are right.**

**BLR: Oh, my head hurts.**

**BLA: Chocolate makes you fat!**

**RS: But it tastes good!**

**MS: Someone catch me! (Jumps off of couch, and crashes into crater made by BLR)**

**Daini: Sorry I'm late. I had some problems getting here.**

**BLR: HOT! (Currently drooling, with a nosebleed, red face, and steam coming out of his ears.**

**Naruto: Hey nee-chan!**

**BLR: Naruto! I challenge you for the right to be Daini's container! If I win, she will be sealed in me! (Charges forward)**

**Naruto dodges to the side, grabs his fist, and smashes him into the ground.**

**Link: That was....**

**Arren: Interesting.**

**LR: Where's Allan?**

**Arren: Taking care of Rage. He's torturing him.**

**LR: Oh.**

**Thanks, and please review. Next time, is one of my all time favorites, .rocks., and a newcomer, Shinku Ryuuga. Till next time!**


	13. The Return

**Reviewer Chapter #2. Today's guest's are .rocks, and Shinku Ryuuga.**

**Arashen: I'm going to hide now.**

**RS: Don't worry. Bro gave plr a clone of you.**

**Plr: That's right!**

**LR: Hey pink!**

**Allan: This is the girl who keeps freaking you out?**

**Arashen: You have no idea.**

**SR: Hey everyone**.

**Naruto: Hey, you're new to the scene.**

**SR: Well, I have a couple questions. One is for Lady Tsunade.**

**LR: Well, she's not here right now.**

**SR: Oh, then how about Link?**

**Link: Present.**

**SR: Okay. In Chapter 11, when you nailed Hidan in the chest with your arrow. How were you able to aim like that? It's a big target, but doesn't it take precision to get through the torso? And did you combine Hawkeye with bomb arrows?**

**Link: Well, the hero bow is pretty powerful. Add in that I was fairly close, and the arrow had no problem piercing him, even without precision. And no, I didn't combine bomb arrows with Hawkeye. It's actually pretty hard, as the Hawkeye is for distance, and bomb arrows have less range than regular ones. Unless I use a paper bomb, like I did on Hidan.**

**Plr: My turn! Hey Naruto?**

**Naruto: Yeah? **

**Plr: When you become Hokage, and get your face on the mountain, what would you do if somekid came and drew all over it, like you used to?**

**Naruto: I'd give the kids props for pulling it off, before having him clean it all up, and detention for a couple of months. Believe me, actually doing all of it before getting caught is not easy. And I only had four heads. He would have six.**

**Plr: Cool. Oh, and before LR get's rolling. (Glomps on Arashen clone, which she brought with her)**

**Akai: (barges in) Who's glomping on Arashen.... oh. Never mind.**

**LR: Ahhhh. Nothing got blown up.**

**(Explosion from the bathroom)**

**RS: MY BAD!**

**Arren: I got it! (Runs off to the bathroom)**

Disclaimer: I can't win. I just can't win. I don't own anything here but my ideas.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**The Return**

The chuunin guards at the gate watched as Team Outcast, the guy in green with pointy ears, and Jiraiya approached. One of them smiled, and waved.

"Mission success?"

Naruto smiled as he gave them a thumbs up. "You know it. Kumo got Yugito back, and their more than willing to ally with us. Especially with Akatsuki out there. Anything interesting happen whilewe were gone?"

The other guard shook his head. "Not much, beyond some more civilians demanding your death, and stuff."

Naruto nodded, while the others became pissed. "What else is new. They probably won't ever like me much, especially since I put the civilian council members in their place."

"That was you? Dang man. Good going. Anyways, we've held you up long enough. See you around."

Naruto waved, as the group headed onward. Naruto let out a sigh of relief, and gently touched one of his pockets. Hinata sidled next to him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I was just scared for a second there. But this just proves the security around Konoha needs to be tightened up."

Jiraiya nodded. "It's something Tsunade and I having been working towards. But no one thinks to check over stuff like this."

Arren smirked. "Which worked to our advantage."

Naruto nodded, as they came to the Tower. "Let's get this over with. I'm suspecting hard times ahead, and I'm not looking forward to it."

They headed up, till they reached Tsunade's office. They entered to find Team Kakashi finishing their debriefing on the escort mission they had done. Kakashi turned and smiled at Naruto, while Sasuke didn't even spare them a glance.

"Naruto, glad to see your back. Everything went well?" Tsunade said, as she handed Kakashi and his team their pay.

Naruto nodded. "Beyond a couple of incidents involving Akatsuki and Kumo, yeah."

Sasuke immediately perked up at the mention of Akatsuki, while Tsunade frowned. "What do you mean?"

Naruto glanced at Team Kakashi. "Well, I can't talk about the Akatsuki incident right now, but what happened in Kumo was enlightening. Some leftovers from the Sandaime Raikage's reign tried to order some of their ninja's to capture Hinata. We dealt with it, and the Raikage saw to the problem personally."

Sasuke moved forward angrily. "What about Akatsuki? What happened?"

Naruto turned back to him. "It's S-ranked. Hokage's ears only, Sasuke."

Sasuke snarled. "I don't care! If it involves Akatsuki, it involves my brother, and that involves me! Now what happened?!"

Kakashi placed a restraining hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Enough! Sasuke, if it did involve Itachi, I'm sure you'll be told. Now let's go."

Sasuke sneered, before being escorted out. As the door closed, Arren shook his head. "He has way too much arrogance."

Eflower sighed. "There is pain in his heart as well. His aura is dark, and corrupted."

Tsunade sighed. "We'll deal with him later. What about Akatsuki?"

Naruto pulled out two storage scrolls. "We ran into Hidan and Kakuzu, backed by Itachi and Kisame. Hidan and Kakuzu attacked, and we slaughtered them. For the most part."

He opened the scroll, and activated one of the two active storage seals on it. Out popped Hidan's head, which started yelling.

"It's about f$#ing time! Do you realize how boring it is in there?!"

Tsunade stared at the head in shock. "That.... is so wrong."

"Who f$#ing asked you?!" Hidan shouted, before being bashed across the room, and into the wall by Tsunade's fist. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Tsunade sighed. "Well, what about the other two?"

Naruto turned, and secured the door with a locking jutsu, followed by a sound proof jutsu. Then he opened the other scroll, while everyone stepped back. He activated it, and Itachi and Kisame popped out. Tsunade looked at both of them in amazement.

"How did you get them in here?"

"Storage scrolls. I think Konoha needs to tighten it's security a bit more." Itachi said, while Kisame shook his head to clear it.

"That was funky. So you're Tsunade, the Slug Princess? You're a lot younger than I expected."

Tsunade smirked. "Naruto, I think you could learn a few things from Kisame."

Naruto smirked back. "Kisame, you know she's using a henge to make herself look younger, right?"

Kisame's eyes widened, while Tsunade banged a fist on the desk. Finally, she calmed down. "Itachi, while it's good to have the two of you here, I'm afraid there are major problems."

Itachi nodded. "Indeed. My younger brother being one, and the elders being the other."

Tsunade nodded. "I have proof that will allow you to return to Konoha, and since Kisame was helping you, we can grant him amnesty as well. The problem is said proof will cause a major uproar. And with the village the way it is, we may end up having a civil war on our hands."

Suddenly, Jiraiya snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute! We have Danzou in jail, right? For treason against the village and such?"

As Tsunade nodded, Jiraiya smirked. "Well, why not make him a scapegoat. The whole village hates him now, why not dump the whole thing on him?"

Naruto nodded. "It's a good plan, but what about the elders? They shouldn't be allowed to get away with this either."

Tsunade sighed. "This whole situation is a mess. If we blame Danzou, we still smear the Sandaime's name for giving Itachi the orders, and we reveal the truth about the Uchiha's. If we go for the elders too, we have the same problem, only worse because it will lead many to suspect the ninja's of the council."

Naruto placed his hands in his head, as he sat down. "This is insane. If we do nothing, an innocent man is forced to live life on the run. If we do something, we risk Konoha being engulfed in war. There's no answer."

Itachi gently kneeled before Tsunade. "If it will make things easier, I'll turn myself in. I only wished to be able to return home, even if it meant I would be executed."

Naruto surged to his feet. "Are you insane?"

Hinata placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Itachi-san, this isn't the way. You are innocent. We can't let those who are guilty escape their just punishment."

Jiraiya nodded. "Their both right. As much as this situation stinks, we can't let an innocent man be executed."

Tsunade looked around. "If we go through with this, we need to be able to deal with the repercussions."

Naruto stood tall. "I'll stand by your side, baa-chan."

Hinata took Naruto's hand, while Arren and Eflower joined them. "So will we."

Tsunade nodded. "Then let's get this over with." Naruto stopped both his jutsu's, and Tsunade called Shizune in.

As the apprentice medic came in, she looked at Itachi and Kisame, who had both thrown henge's up. Tsunade cleared her throat, and Shizune looked back to her.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Call the Council Member's together, as well as Sasuke Uchiha. And get me the files labeled 'Return'."

Shizune nodded, and left.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hiashi Hyuuga sighed, as he walked towards the meeting room of the Hyuuga estate. The reason for the sigh? The Hyuuga elders.

They had been quite happy with Hinata's progress, especially her invention of the Hyuuga staff fighting style, and the Protective Eight Trigrams. But they were unhappy with her infatuation with the"demon boy", as they had labeled Naruto. They had been giving him a headache about how she should spend her time finding a worthy suitor, instead of going after the village pariah. Hiashi had no problems with Naruto, especially since he was the son of his best friend.

The elders had been shocked when they saw Naruto's fight with Sasuke, and Hiashi had hoped that would shut them up. Instead, the elders had been quite upset, claiming the demon boy would corrupt Hinata with his evil power. Then, they had gone into a rage, when Hinata was placed under the command of said boy.

Hiashi rubbed his head, and slowly regained his composure, before entering the room. The five elders bowed to him, and he returned the bow. "What have you summoned me?"

The head elder spoke up. "We wish to speak to you about Hinata. It is time she found a future husband."

Hiashi closed his eyes for a brief moment, before opening them. "I take it you have someone in mind?"

"Indeed. While there has been a rivalry between the Uchiha and Hyuuga, we believe now is the time to settle our differences. If Hinata marries Sasuke Uchiha, the Uchiha clan will forever be indebted to us, and we will gain a powerful ally."

"And what about her being head of the clan? She has proven to be a capable fighter, and she has shown amazing diplomacy. I believe she would make a fine leader."

"She is too soft. She plans to remove the branch seal, and free them from their fated stations in life."

"Only because we forced it on them. They were never fated to live like that." Hiashi again closed his eyes, then opened them again, this time with a smile. "Even if you take Hinata away from being the clan head, she cannot marry the Uchiha."

The elder's looked startled. "And why not? You would not dare go against our wishes, would you?"

"Of course not, wise elders. But the fact is, Hinata was promised before birth to the son of a great man. And this son has all ready proven himself a worthy suitor."

"Who?! Who is this man?"

Before Hiashi could answer, a branch member entered, and bowed low. "Forgive my intrusion, but the Council Members of Konoha are being called. It's quite urgent."

Hiashi nodded. "I thank you." As the branch member left, Hiashi turned back to the elders. "We'll finish this when I return. Until then." Hiashi bowed and left, a smirk forming on his lips.

"I will never let my daughter be touched by that traitor." He whispered.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Half an hour later, the last of the Council Members entered. They glanced curiously at the two cloaked figures standing near Tsunade, and at Naruto, who was sitting near her. One of the civilians spoke up.

"Hokage-sama, why is _he _here. Surely he is not part of the Council?"

Tsunade smiled. "No. But one day, if he decides to start the Namikaze clan. He is here to discuss about recent events."

Sasuke, who had just entered, glanced at Naruto. "Does it involve Akatsuki? Because if not, then this is a waste of my time."

Naruto leaked out KI, causing Sasuke to sweat. "Believe me, Sasuke. This won't be a waste of time."

Sasuke sat down, and Tsunade nodded. "Naruto, please begin."

Naruto bowed his head, and stood up. "I'm sure you all remember me and my team recently escorted Yugito Nii, the ninja from Kumo back home. Along the way, we were ambushed by four members of Akatsuki. Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Itachi Uchiha."

Sasuke bolted up. "What happened?! Where is he?!"

Tsunade glared at him. "Calm down, Sasuke."

Naruto continued, as Sasuke sat down. "Hidan and Kakuzu actually attacked. We defeated both of them, and killed them. Itachi and Kisame merely watched, before coming out, and surrendering to us."

Tsunade stood up. "This has been an S-ranked secret, since the time of Uchiha massacre. In truth, Itachi had orders to do what he did."

Their were outbursts through out the Council room. Homura and Koharu glanced uneasily at each other, while Sasuke was in rage. "You lie! Itachi would never have taken orders to slaughter our clan. He did it to test his power!"

"Unfortunately, that is a lie, Sasuke. The Sandaime kept records of how Itachi became a spy for him, as the Uchiha clan had become restless since rumors had started that they were responsible for the Kyuubi's attack. Many people believed that they planned to take over Konoha. Itachi's spying proved that the Uchiha's did in fact intend to do so, after the rumors had started."

Sasuke's face was contorted. "What proof have you? My clan was loyal to Konoha!"

"Something you weren't, teme." Naruto muttered under his breath. Tsunade shook her head.

"The proof is here, Sasuke. Records, and documents copied by Itachi, and given to the Sandaime, the elders, and Danzou."

Sasuke slowly sat down, as he stared at the papers Tsunade held up. He recognized his father's signature on several of them.

"It can't be true."

Other members of the council nodded, but the ninja heads glanced at each other. They all remembered Fugaku had been loyal to his clan, and served his clan's interest's above the village's. They knew this was something he was capable of.

Tsunade sighed, as she placed the papers down. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. But the proof is undeniable. Your clan was planning to take over Konoha. Eventually, before they made their move, Danzou made his. He gained the elder's support, and outvoted the Sandaime on the matter. The Sandaime was forced to order your brother to slaughter the clan, to defend Konoha."

At this moment, the two elders jumped to their feet, only to be surrounded by shadow clones from Naruto. Each had their swords drawn, and ready. Naruto smirked. "I thought you two might pull something like this. Tsunade-same?"

Tsunade snapped her fingers, and ten ANBU came in, and led the elders away. Sasuke was shaking in rage. "So, it's the village's fault my clan is dead. They ordered my brother to do it."

"Yes and no, Sasuke." One of the cloaked figures spoke, before lowering his hood, revealing Itachi. He had a new Konoha headband tied around his forehead. "I was given the orders, but I volunteered."

Sasuke stared at Itachi, rage, surprise, and confusion on his face. "Why?" He whispered.

"Because unlike the rest of the clan, my loyalty was to the village first. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Our clan was going to cause many deaths in Konoha, just to ensure their survival. I would not let them destroy this village."

Sasuke slowly stood to his feet. "Is that so? You were willing to sacrifice our family for this village?"

Itachi looked down. "I was going to spare some. Mother would not have been killed. But I enlisted outside help, and he was the one who got to our family. He henged himself to look like me, and started you down this dark road."

Sasuke shook in rage. He looked around the room, before his eyes settled on Naruto. Then he turned and left. Itachi sighed. "I fear he will not forgive me for this. And now, he may hate the village as well."

"Tsunade-sama, what is he doing here?!" Tsume Inuzuka called out. Tsunade raised a hand.

"He's being reinstated. After he slaughtered his clan, he joined the Akatsuki group to act as a spy for Jiraiya. He's been passing information to us about their movements. He and Kisame."

With that, Kisame lowered his own hood. He smiled, as his new Konoha headband glinted. "Yo." He said, his sharp teeth flashing.

The Council looked at each other. "So they are....?"

"They are loyal ninja's of Konoha. The Sandaime set it up, so Itachi, and later Kisame, could return home, when they needed to."

"So, Itachi was working for us, and the Uchiha's were going to betray us? This is.... very confusing." Chouza said.

"This is quite troublesome. Do you know what will happen of those two are seen out in the village?" Shikaku asked.

"Yes. For now, they will lay low, until the news has been spread out. Eventually, they will be able to come out."

The Council looked at each other again. Finally, Shibi Aburame spoke. "This is actually beneficial to Konoha. We have two powerful shinobi added to our ranks, and Akatsuki has been weakened considerably. As long as they don't prove to be a problem, I have no qualms about them."

The others couldn't deny Shibi's logic, and one by one, they hesitantly agreed. Itachi bowed his head. "I thank you for your words, Shibi-san. I hope I prove worthy of your support."

Tsunade glanced at all of them. "Well, that's that. But I do have some good news. We now have a firm alliance with Kumo. They promise to help and support us, due to the fact that we protected Yugito, and escorted her home. Is there any other business?"

As they all shook their heads, Tsunade smiled. "Then this meeting is adjourned."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Ame, the Akatsuki had gathered together. Their leader, Pein, was furious.

"What do you mean, betrayed us?"

The squat, bulky figure of Sasori sighed. "Itachi and Kisame betrayed us. They were working for Konoha the entire time. They stood by while Kakuzu and Hidan were killed, then returned to Konoha with the group from there."

Zetsu, the half plant, half man ninja from Kusa entered, with a man dressed in black, and an orange spiral mask on his face.

"I have a new member, Pein-sama. This is Tobi."

"Hi! Tobi is excited to join Akatsuki!" The figure said, causing everyone to sweat drop. Except for Pein, whose eye's narrowed slightly.

"Yes. Welcome, Tobi. Now, Sasori, Deidara. What is your progress on obtaining Shukaku?"

"We were going to move out, but you called this meeting. We should have him in a week's time."

"Then get moving. Zetsu, you and .... Tobi will go and get the Sanbi. Me and Konan will deal with the Kyuubi, and these traitors."

With that, the Akatsuki moved out.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto glanced at Itachi. "Are you sure you want to do this? It could be rough."

"I need to know. I need to know what she thinks about me. After that, I will be at peace, no matter what the future will bring." itachi said from under his cloak and hood. The two were headed to Ichiraku Ramen, while the rest of the team had dispersed. Hinata had returned home with her father, as he had business to discuss with her. Arren and Eflower had gone to the hot springs, while Link had gone off to train with Kisame, who wanted to see Link in real action.

Naruto nodded. "All right. Just promise me this. Don't ever hurt her. She's like a sister to me."

Itachi nodded. "I would sooner pluck my eyes out, and live blind, then hurt her. And that is something I fear the most. Living blind."

Naruto nodded, as he pushed aside the hanging banners. "Hey old man! Ayame nee-chan! I'm back."

They both grinned. "Naruto! How's my number one customer?"

Naruto smiled. "Doing good. Although this guy may tie with me, if he likes what he eats here."

Ayame looked at the hooded figure. "Really? Then he must have a serious appetite. Why the hood and cloak?"

Itachi hesitated as he looked at Ayame. _She's more beautiful than I remember._

Ayame became a little nervous. "Sir?"

"Oh, forgive me. I wear this because parts of my body are horrible scared, and I don't want to disgust people. My name is Inishi. Inishi Hinin."

(A/N: That's Hermit Outcast.)

Ayame nodded. "Your voice seems familiar. Someone I knew once." She said softly. Then she shook her head. "What will you both be having?"

"Three Miso Pork Ramen's for me. And how about that one? I've never tried it before."

Naruto pointed at one selection at the bottom of the list. Teuchi looked at it. "The pocky flavored, huh? No one really goes for that one, not for eight years now. Ayame came up with it when she was younger."

Inishi (Itachi) sat down. "Really? I think I might have a bowl of it too."

Ayame hesistated, then nodded. She turned to start making it, struggling with the memories that had surfaced.

_It's been eight years. I'm sure he's forgotten about me. And even if he didn't, we can't be together. Not after what he did._

Ayame sighed, as she finished the broth, which her dad added the noodles to in two bowls. She placed the two bowls in front of Naruto and Inishi, before turning to help with the rest of Naruto's order. Naruto sampled the ramen, before smiling.

"This is pretty good. And Ayame came up with it?"

Teuchi nodded. "Yep. Came up with it for a special friend of her's."

Inishi, who had also tasted, sighed in satisfaction. 'Well, they must have been very lucky to have a friend like you."

Ayame just nodded sadly. Itachi decided to press forward. "Did something happen to them? You seem sad in remembering this friend."

Ayame sighed. "I guess it's just hard. I.... we were best friends, me and him. I... I actually started to like him as more. But I could never tell him. He came from a prestigious clan, and I was nothing but a serving girl."

Inishi set aside his half eaten bowl. "Indeed? Then he must have been Hyuuga, or Uchiha. They are the only clans in Konoha who would have been that foolish."

Ayame just nodded. "He was an Uchiha. But he was different. He kept pushing himself, in his own quiet way. He was so determined to be the strongest. Just like Naruto here." Ayame smiled at Naruto, who was digging into his second bowl of Miso Pork. Then she turned away, and went to work cleaning some of the equipment. Inishi started on his bowl again.

"I take it he died in the massacre then?"

Ayame stopped, and Teuchi came over. "I think that is enough for now. Why don't you-."

"No, otou. I need to talk about this. I've kept it bottle up for too long." Ayame turned around. "He was Itachi, the one who slaughtered his clan. Then he left." Tears fell from her eyes. "He didn't even say goodbye. He just left. So I know he didn't care for me, the way I did for him."

Itachi felt his heart fall. He looked down at his bowl. "I see. He must have really been heartless."

Naruto looked at him. "I'm sure he would have, if he had the chance."

Teuchi looked sharply at naruto. "What makes you say that?"

Naruto looked up at them. "When I ran into Itachi for the first time, I felt something. It was faint, but there. Heartache."

The all looked at him in surprise. Naruto nodded. "Heartache. Not for family, but for one he cared about much more deeply. That is what I felt, even if I didn't know it at the time."

Ayame sighed, as she turned away. "It doesn't matter. Even if he did care for me, we could never be together. He's on the run, and I could never leave my father here."

Itachi finished his ramen. "Perhaps change is on the wind. Never believe the future is set. Many things can change." He placed money on the counter. "Thank you for your time, and the excellent food. Naruto, I'm afraid I must be going. I'll see you later." With that, the cloaked figure vanished. Ayame slowly hugged herself. Teuchi comforted her, while Naruto finished the last of his ramen. "Well, that was great. I'll see you guy's later." With that, Naruto paid, and left.

Teuchi sighed, as he turned to check on the heat of the noddle cooker. Ayame gathered the money, and noticed something. The pile from Inishi was much larger than it should have been. And there was a note. She slowly opened it, and gasped.

On the note were two words, and several tear stains. _I'm sorry._

In his room in the Hokage's Tower, Itachi removed his cloak, sat on his bed, and wept.

(A/N: Forgive me for being so OC with Itachi, but I think the guy deserves a freaking break. He's ordered to slaughter his clan, force his brother to hate him, and be called a traitor by the village he loves, and is loyal too. Add in what I've come up with, and I think he has the right to cry)

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In the Uchiha district, Sasuke glared at everything around him.

_My clan, traitor's? This village slaughtered them, for their own pathetic survival? What do I owe Konoha? What do I owe anyone?_

With that, Sasuke made up his mind. He knew what he would do now. He was an Avenger, but now of a different kind.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto walked the street's of Konoha, looking around. People still gave him glares, but some of them were softened now. There were calls of "demon", or "scum". But there was still anger, and hatred.

Naruto just shook his head. _Some things just never change._

"_They will when we get done. Has Tsunade given you a date for your speech to Konoha?_" Daini said from inside his mind.

_Yeah. A little over a week. She'll also give me my inheritance at the time. Which is quite a lot. My parent's were loaded._

Daini smiled. "_Think of all the ramen you could buy._"

Naruto smiled at the thought, then smiled even more. _Think of the gifts I could buy for hinata-chan._

Daini smirked. "_Remember, gifts are not everything. They mean nothing I there is no feeling or love in them._"

Naruto nodded, when an ANBU with a hawk mask appeared. "Namikaze-san. Tsunade request's you immediately. It's urgent."

Naruto nodded, and turned, leaping onto a building, and then leaping towards the Hokage's Tower.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hinata wondered what was going on. Her father had told her to return home, only to ask her to wait outside the meeting room, while he talked with the elders. Shortly there after, she had heard shouts of outrage. She was tempted to find out what was going on with her Byakugan, but stopped. Eventually, the door opened, and Hiashi bade her enter.

As she did, she noticed the ugly looks on the elder's faces, and a scroll lying on the table. She instantly recognized it as a engagement contract scroll. Her heart dropped into her stomach.

_No. Please no._

Hiashi moved, and picked up the contract. "Hinata, I trust you recognize what this is?"

She nodded, completely depressed. Hiashi smiled. "Well, I thought you might like to hear about this, but perhaps I am wrong. Is there any reason why you are so depressed?"

Hinata steeled herself. "There is. I love Naruto-kun. And he returns my feelings. We are currently dating, and I do not wish to lose him. In fact, I refuse to." She straightened. "I will not be with anyone but Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze."

The elders were surprised at Hinata's boldness, but disgusted at her choice. But hiashi smiled even more. "That is very good news. You see, this is a contract between myself and your mother, and Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki. It states that should we have children of the opposite gender, they would be married, unless they had fallen in love with other people."

Hinata's eyes widened. "M-married? Me and Naruto-kun.... are engaged?"

"Not yet. Not until he actually proposes. And he doesn't know about this yet."

Hinata did the only thing she could think of at the time. She fainted.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto looked over the report Tsunade had given him. "Is this true?"

Jiraiya nodded. "With Itachi and Kisame gone, I've had other spies work overtime on Akatsuki's movements. Two of them spotted Sasori and Deidara heading towards Suna. They're going for Gaara."

Tsunade nodded. "We've all ready sent a copy to Suna. They will know about this, and prepare properly. I want Team Outcast to back them up."

Naruto nodded. "I'll get my team together, and we'll get right on it. Any chance I can take Link along?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Speed is of the essence here. Unless her can move fast enough to keep up, then no."

Naruto smirked. "Link can keep up. His endurance is higher than I've ever seen, and besides, I have a feeling we will need his help."

Tsunade sighed. "Fine. But I'm sending Team Gai too. Who knows what you may come across."

Naruto nodded. "We'll be gone by tomorrow morning." Naruto bowed, and left.

_You're not taking Gaara. Not while I'm around._

* * *

**LR: That's a wrap.**

**Tsunade: What am I doing here? I've got a ton of paperwork, and Shizune will be real upset if I fall behind.**

**Allan: You're her boss, and you're scared of her being upset?**

**Naruto: You've never seen her upset, have you?**

**SR: Well, I had a question. When are you planning on making Naruto Rokudaime? Or Shichidaime, if something should happen to you, and he's not ready?**

**Tsunade: When the little gaki is ready. I've still got several good years in me, and he's only sixteen. The youngest Hokage was his father, at 25. And I intend for him to be the Rokudaime.**

**Naruto: Thanks baa-chan.**

**RS: Baa-chan! That cracks me up.**

**RS is hit by a super powered fist, sending her flying through a wall. LR hangs his head.**

**LR: I just got that fixed.**

**Plr: I can't stand it anymore! (Glomps onto the real Arashen)**

**Arashen: No..... not again.**

**Please review. Next up are Kyuub123, and MANGEKYOUsharingan MASTER. **


	14. Battle and Betrayal

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* * *

**

And here is number 3. Today's guests are Kyuubi123, and MANGEKYOUSharinganMASTER. Just a little update for all of you. This story, despite the fact that I'm only up to thirteen chapters so far, has more words in it than Rebirth of Legends, my first and longest fanfic. Legend of Naruto is also catching up to Fox Knight, my more popular story, in every other stat category. Thank you all for your reviews, and reading my stories. Now on to the main event.

**Naruto: My clones finished patching up the walls.**

**LR: Good. Let's hope everything stays up.**

**K123: Hello?**

**RS: They're here!**

**LR: Hey, welcome to the Ranger Lair.**

**MM: Not bad.**

**K123: This is cool!**

**Allan: So, what are you two up to?**

**K123: Well, I just wanted to tell LR that I think he is doing an awesome job, and I really like his stories. Especially the fight scenes. Their pretty sweet.**

**LR: Well, their all right. Don't forget to give Allan some credit. He's helping me do the Arren and Eflower fight scenes in my chapters.**

**Arashen: Sorry I'm late. What's up?**

**MM: Arashen, you are so below me. (Suddenly pulls out a rubber chicken with Clucky # 2 stamped on it, and hits Arashen)**

**LR: Oh no.**

**Arashen: AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH! (Unleashes Inferno, and goes medieval on MM)**

**LR: WATCH OUT FOR THE-!**

**(Explosion)**

Disclaimer: Maybe I should build the walls out of durasteel, or something. I don't own squat.

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**Chapter 14**

**Battle and Betrayal**

Itachi just sat on his bed, watching the sun light from the rising sun though his window. He slowly got up, pulling the Hunter nin mask on, that Tsunade had provided for him and Kisame. Until they could walk through Konoha freely, the two needed to wear these masks, as well as their hooded cloaks.

Itachi sighed, as he pulled the cloak on, and exited his room in the Hokage's Tower. Kisame had left his room, now under the identity of Ago Kyuushuu.

(A/N: Jaws Revenge. Ago is just Jaw, but it's close enough)

"Why the long face, Inishi? You're back home, reinstated in the ranks, and soon to be able to walk around as yourself. So what's the problem?" Kisame said in a jovial manner, as he sheathed a disguised Samehada on his back.

"It's nothing."Iitachi said, hoping to end the matter. Kisame knew better.

"Girl trouble?" Kisame asked innocently. Itachi glared at him, then shook his head in defeat.

"I've caused her such pain. Why should she want me?"

"Don't you think you're jumping the kunai?"

"You didn't see her. She was heartbroken, because I never even said goodbye." Itachi sighed. "It's something I have to live with."

Kisame shrugged, as Itachi led them to the Hokage's office. Shizune nodded, and opened the door for them. Inside, Itachi received a shock.

Ayame stood there, talking to Tsunade. She glanced up at them, not recognizing Itachi as Inishi, because of the mask he wore. She turned back to Tsunade.

"Please, Hokage-sama. I just want to know the truth. Is Itachi Uchiha back in Konoha?"

Tsunade sighed. "Ayame, this is sensitive information. I can't tell anyone outside of those who know, or the Council."

"Hokage-same, please!" Ayame said, almost in tears.

"He is." Came a calm voice from behind. A voice that was so familiar to her. Ayame turned, to see Itachi removing his mask. He looked at her, with brown-black eyes full of sorrow, and regret.

Slowly, she approached him. She looked at him for several minutes. Then she reared back and slapped him across the face.

Itachi's head snapped to the right at the impact. Kisame's eyes widened, as Itachi slowly turned back to see Ayame glaring at him, her face full of anger. "That was for leaving without a word."

Then her face changed to one of love and happiness, as she grabbed him. "And this is for coming back in one piece."

Her lips met Itachi's in a gentle, and loving kiss. Itachi's arms wrapped around her, before the two disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Tsunade glanced at Kisame.

"Do I want to know?"

"Nope. And better not let that pervert Jiraiya know about it. He may try to get some 'research' done."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto glanced around. After his meeting with Tsunade, he had gone to Link about joining the group headed for Suna. Link's response was to give him till tomorrow morning, then leave if he hadn't joined them in time. All of Team Outcast was with him now, and he could see Team Gain in the distance. He sighed, before turning to the others.

"Looks like we have no choice. Let's get ready to move."

Arren and Eflower responded instantly, shouldering their packs. But Hinata sat there, her eyes distant. Naruto came over to her.

"Hinata-chan? You okay?" Hinata whipped her head around, blushing. She stood up, shouldering her pack.

"I-I'm fine. Just thinking about something."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her stutter. "Is something wrong?"

Hinata looked around, then sighed. "I learned something yesterday. Something that makes me happy, and yet upset at the same time." She took a deep breath, and then looked him in the eyes.

"Both of our parents arranged a marriage contract. If the two of us were different genders, and we didn't fall in love with anyone else, we were to be engaged, and married."

Naruto stood there for several moments, shocked. "Y-you mean..... me and you ..... are engaged?"

Hinata smiled slightly. "When you propose, we are. Naruto-kun, this really makes me happy, but.... I don't want you to feel like you have to marry me, or something. If you want to, we can have the contract voided."

Naruto looked at her, then broke into a huge smile. "Are you kidding?! This is wonderful!" He grabbed her, lifting her up and spinning around. She laughed in happiness, before Naruto lowered her down to kiss her. Arren, Eflower, and Team Gai watched them. Gai and Lee both were smiling their massive smiles.

"Look at the flame that burns in them. If there is any flame to match that of youth, it is of love!"

"Indeed Gai-sensei!" Lee said, as he wrote that down in his notebook. Gai also saw some notes that made his eyes widen.

"My star pupil is getting ready for a date! YOSH! The Power of Youth prevails again!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

The two hugged, with their massive eyesore of a back drop behind them. Everyone but Hinata and Naruto was struck by it, and frantically tried to shield their eyes, except for Arren and Eflower, who were still watching Naruto and Hinata. In Naruto, Daini smiled.

"_Not this time._" She concentrated her chakra, and a genjutsu of her own creation activated behind Hinata and Naruto. The gate of Konoha had turned into a starlit night, with a full moon reflected in a calm lake. Everyone turned to look at it in awe, and wonderment. Even the Green Beasts were struck dumb.

Eventually, Hinata and Naruto separated, and smiled at each other. Naruto leaned close, and whispered in Hinata's ear.

"Now I don't have to worry about someone coming, and taking you away from me. You're mine, and I am your's, forever."

Hinata smiled. "I'm glad you're okay with it. I didn't know what you would think."

Naruto was about to reply, when there was the sound of galloping hoof beats, heading their way. They all turned, to see Link riding up on a horse. The horse was dark brown in body, with a black mane. Link smiled as he reigned in next to them.

"Well, glad to see you're all here still."

Naruto smirked. "You think you can keep up on that horse?"

"I found the best there was. This beauty was raised for speed and endurance. He'll keep going till the sunset, which is more than any of you can do. He reminds me of my horse back home, Epona."

Naruto nodded. "All right then. I'm sure you all know, but our mission is to intercept two members of Akatsuki. From the information provided to us by Jiraiya's spy network, it's Deidara from Iwa, who specializes in explosive jutsu's, and Sasori from Suna, who uses puppets. Extreme caution should be taken. These guys are no pushovers."

They all nodded. Naruto turned to the gate. "Let's hope we get to rest after this mission is done. Everybody ready? Let's go!"

With that, the eight shinobi, and one horse back hero, disappeared out of the gate.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Oto, Orochimaru was about to get something he did not expect. He currently was sitting in his throne room, wondering on how to get to Sasuke Uchiha, and get him to Oto, when a small snake summon appeared before him.

"**Orochimaru-sama? I have a message for you, from Sasuke Uchiha.**"

Orochimaru nodded, and the snake continued, his voice shifiting to that of Sasuke's. "**Two days from now, Team Kakashi will be headed out on a mission to patrol the border of Iwa. We will be out there for a week, before returning to Konoha. If you still want to give me power, power enough to destroy Konoha, meet me at the border, and we will discuss my defection.**"

The snake bowed his head, before disappearing. Orochimaru smiled, before turning to Kabuto, who emerged from the shadows.

"Life has a way of giving us answers, doesn't it? Prepare our best team, to accompany me. I'm leaving you in charge when I leave."

"It will be done, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed, before stepping back into the shadows. Orochimaru smirked, his tongue coming out to lick his lips in a snake like way.

_Soon, I will have the most powerful body in the Elemental nations_.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Iwa, the "Tscuhikage" glared at the reports on his desk. "Why is it none of you have found anything yet? We've sent out plenty of teams!"

The four chuunin in front of him shook slightly. "Forgive us, Tscuhikage-sama, but no one seems to know of this Nexus. If we had more information on it, we might have a better chance of finding it."

Ganondorf shook his head. "I don't know that much about it either, except that it has immense power. Power that belongs to us. Rest for now, until it is your team's turn to go back out."

The chuunin bowed, and left. Afterwards, Ganondorf smashed a fist into the desk.

_These fools are incompetent at best! And the more time they waste, the more I have to remain behind this mask._

Ganondorf sighed, before turning to an evil that he admitted was greater than him: paperwork.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Traveling out of Ame, and into the Suna border, Sasori and Deidara were doing what came naturally to them: arguing.

"But Sasori-san, you have to admit that my explosions are works of art. The build up of suspense, until that one beautiful flash of light and smoke, and then the stillness afterwards. That's true art, right?"

"Idiot. How long until afterwards do people forget about your so called art? Art is everlasting, so it can be appreciated, and seen again, so it is never forgotten. That is true art."

"But it's the same thing every time. There is no difference. While with my art, you get something new each time. That is art."

"You're a fool."

They walked in silence for several minutes, with only the wind, and the bells on their hat's making any noise. Finally, Deidara spoke.

"Are you sure your spy can keep the entrance clear for us? I need to be able to get out of there in one piece, after I immobilize the Shukaku."

"I'm sure. Have faith in my abilities. I've spent years perfecting them, so they last, like true art."

"Not again. For the last time, art is one instant, and that is it!"

The two continued to squabble, as they headed towards Suna.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Suna, Gaara looked over the message that had been sent to him by messenger hawk from Konoha. He turned to the gathered ninja's.

"Akatsuki are coming for me. They have sent Deidara from Iwa, and Sasori, from here, after me. Actually, these are wise choices, now that I think about it. Deidara has the capability of destroying my defenses, while Sasori skills have become so legendary, that only Elder Chiyo could possibly match him. At least, here in Suna."

Kankuro shrugged. "So what do we do?"

Gaara indicated the report. "Maybe nothing at all. Konoha is sending two teams in to deal with the situation. Team Gai, and the newly formed Team Outcast. Which is led by none other than Naruto."

Kankuro and Temari both started. "Naruto? He's leading a team?"

Gaara nodded. "He's been promoted to jounin after returning to Konoha. I'm sure he will be surprised to learn that I'm Kazekage."

Kankuro still couldn't believe it. "That short, blond gaki is a jounin? I admit he was strong, and skilled to a degree. But seriously?"

Gaara glanced at Kankuro. "When last we saw him, he had the makings of a great leader. Why are you so surprised? Don't forget that everyone saw me as nothing but a psychotic killer. Now I'm in charge of protecting this village."

Kankuro shrugged. Temari sighed, as she readjusted her fan. "So, what happens if they don't make it in time?"

"Then we deal with the situation, and hold till they arrive. Ready our defenses at once."

The two nodded, as well as the other high ranking jounin. All of them left, before the door opened, and girl with short brown hair, and a chuunin vest entered. She carried a large stack of papers, which she set on his desk. She took half of them.

"Sorry, Gaara-sama. I know how much you hate this." She said, as she took her half, and began working.

"Don't worry, Matsuri-chan. And what did I say about when we are alone in the office?"

Matsuri blushed, and smiled. "All right, Gaara-kun." She giggled in delight. "I still can't believe I'm the Kazekage's girlfriend."

"As a good friend of mine once said, 'Believe it'." Gaara said, giving her one of his rare smiles.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Team's Outcast and Gai leaped through the trees, while below them, Link was actually keeping pace on the back of his horse, which he had decided to call Senkou (Flash). He looked up at them in the trees, only to hear Gai and Lee go one about how youthful Link-san was, since he wore green like them. He shook his head, before looking back at the road ahead.

Naruto had his senses alert, as he led them southwest from Konoha. It would be at least four days of hard traveling to reach Suna. Maybe more, as the desert sand and heat could slow them down. He glanced back at everyone.

Hinata was keeping pace with him, while Arren and Eflower were behind, and to their left. Neji and Tenten were straight behind them, while Lee and Gai were on the right flank. Link rode beneath them, his horse in a fast canter, but not a full gallop. Naruto shook his head in amazement.

"That is a fast horse." He said. Hinata nodded in agreement.

Eventually, as night fell, they stopped to rest. Link cared for his horse, rubbing him down with grass, and leading him to a nearby pond. Naruto was pouring over a map of the Elemental nations.

"Our targets have at least a full day lead on us. Not to mention that they only have about a three and a half day journey, where as our's could take up to four. Which means that we're going to be cutting it close. However, from what I understand from Jiraiya's spies, Sasori doesn't move that fast during travel, so that may slow them down."

Gai punched the air. "We will match them with the 'Flames of Youth', and beat them to Suna!"

"Indeed. Our superior speed will help us!"

Tenten glared at both of them. "Please, shut up for a moment. Naruto isn't done yet."

Naruto nodded. "I admit, we probably are faster. But what good would it do if we get there, only to be too exhausted to fight? We need to get there, but we need to be able to fight when we do."

Gai and Lee nodded, while Neji gave Naruto a look of approval. "Those are the words of a tactical mind. What happened to the old Naruto, who rushed in to things?"

Naruto pointed to Arren. "He taught me to think things through before hand. So did Daini nee-chan." At that moment, Daini came out, and hugged her "brother".

"And you learned your lesson's well. Ni-san was always good at improvising strategy in the thick of battle. Now he can do it long term, and on the fly."

Everyone nodded in approval. Naruto blushed. "It's nothing. Shikamaru could have probably come up with a plan to completely neutralize them when we get there."

Hinata took Naruto's hand. "That may be true, but what would happen if the plan failed, and we needed a new one in an instant? Shikamaru would take too long to think of one." Everyone nodded, including Daini. Naruto just smiled.

"Thanks. Anyways, we should get some shuteye. Who wants to take first watch with me?"

Hinata was instantly standing up, and scanning the surrounding area. Naruto smiled. "I guess I don't need to answer that question again."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In the next two days, the defenses of Suna were made ready to withstand the assault of two S-ranked missing ninja's. Elder Chiyo was made aware of the fact that one of them was her grandson. In response, she came out of retirement to help fight.

No one knew that Sasori had a spy in Suna. Even the spy himself didn't know. Yuura of the Council had been a student of Sasori's, and the puppet master of Akatsuki had placed a Memory Block jutsu on Yuura, ensuring he never remembered helping Sasori. Even now, he helped set up the defense of Suna.

Sasori and Deidara set up camp a fair distance from Suna, where they wouldn't be spotted. Sasori silently used his command over Yuura to bring him to the camp, and spill all his knowledge on Suna's defenses. The two Akatsuki members were surprised at how much they had been fortified.

"They must have known we were coming." Deidara said, as they watched Yuura head back to Suna.

"Indeed. I sense Itachi and Kisame were behind this."

"Those two are worse than Orochimaru-teme. At least he left for his own purposes. He didn't stab us in the back."

"It doesn't matter. This just means we'll have to hit them harder. This is the plan."

The two of them sat the night up, going over their strategy.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

As the sun slowly began to rise over Suna, the shinobi guarding it's walls were in for a rude awakening. In the distance, they saw a squat bulky figure approaching, wearing the cloak and hat of the Akatsuki. Almost immediately, the alarm was rung, and shinobi all over the village began to prepare themselves for battle.

As Sasori came closer to the wall, a jounin shouted out to him. "Sasori, you are charged with deserting your village! Surrender now, or die!"

Sasori looked up at the wall, and in a voice indicating a smirk, said, "I hate waiting." Then he launched a pair of kunai with explosive tags at the wall.

They exploded, damaging the wall, and killing a few ninja's. In another section, Yuura had taken the shinobi by surprise, and slaughtered them, allowing Deidara to slip into the village.

Outside, the wall ninja's retaliated, launching waves of shuriken and kunai at Sasori. They all struck, only to hear hollow thunks, as the figure collapsed to the ground. As he did, a new figure arose from the sand behind it, revealing a young man with red hair. He smiled, as he removed his cloak, revealing his body to be that of a puppet, with a strange cylinder where his heart should be. He pulled out a scroll, and with it, summoned over a hundred puppets in red cloaks, all of them wielding weapons. He opened his right chest panel, and hundreds of chakra strings connected to the puppets, bringing them to life.

The wall top guards began to shiver in fear, as the puppets raised their heads. Sasori smirked, before sending them in to battle.

Gaara raced to the wall, intent on doing what he could to help his shinobi there. He turned around a corner, only to have his sand form a shield, and stop several small clay bugs from blowing him up. The sand shuddered under the explosion, but held, until Gaara commanded it to drop. He looked at Deidara, who smirked at him. "Well, if it isn't the Shukaku jinchuuriki. So, how do you want to do this?"

"I'm not interested. Maybe later." Gaara said. Deidara smiled.

"Would having several of my art pieces located through out the village change your mind? Fight me, and they will leave."

Gaara glared at the blond, feminine looking Akatsuki member, before his sand swirled around him. Deidara's smile became a smirk.

"Ready for a blast?" Deidara put more clay into the mouths on his hands, and turned in into a bird, which he made many times bigger, and flew into the air. Gaara's sand reformed beneath him, and he headed up to fight Deidara.

(A/N: Their fight pretty much happens the same way as it did in Shippuden. Basically, Deidara barely beats Gaara, losing an arm in the process. If you have seen the fight, I didn't do the big explosion that would have taken out Suna though)

Outside, the red puppets were slaughtering the defenders. Since they were puppets, they couldn't be taken down by normal means, and so kunai, shurikens, other weapons, and all but the strongest taijutsu were all useless. A few were destroyed through some well placed ninjutsu's, and a few explosive tags.

Chiyo arrived at the wall, seeing the mass destruction her grandson was unleashing. She sighed, as she pulled out a scroll.

"I never thought I would have to use these again." She said, as she summoned ten puppets in white robes. These were the legendary Ten Puppet Collection of Chikamatsu, used by the first puppet ninja to bring down an entire fortress. Chiyo controlled each with one finger, and sent them into battle.

On the ground, Sasori smiled as he saw his grandmother fighting back. "The two puppet masters of Suna. Who would have thought?"

The battle raged for several minutes. Sasori's smiled slowly faded, as with the aid of Chiyo's puppets, his army of puppets was being cut down by the renewed efforts of the Suna shinobi, backed up by ninja's arriving every minute. Suddenly there was a massive explosion, and Deidara flew over the wall, Gaara's unconscious body lying behind him on his giant bird. Sasori had his puppet's provide a distraction, and turned to leave, only to stop dead at the figure's approaching.

In the sky, Deidara was laughing at his success, even though he had lost an arm. Suddenly there was a whistling noise, and a thunk. He saw an arrow embedded into the head of his clay bird. But what really got his attention was the explosive tag on it. He smiled.

"Someone shares my opinion on art." With that, he grabbed Gaara and jumped, while the massive bird exploded into a huge fireball and smoke.

On the ground, Link punched the air. "Told you I could get him."

Naruto sighed. "Yes, you got him. Now let's get moving!" He drew his sword, moving forward.

Sasori cursed his luck. It wasn't bad enough that they would have all of Suna after them soon. But now they had to deal with the Kyuubii's jinchuuriki. But Deidara, who had landed safely behind him, smiled.

"Don't worry. I tweaked the plan, slightly."

Suddenly, there was an explosion behind them, as the main entrance to Suna was caved in. Sasori smiled. "Well, that evens the odds a little. Maybe I can do some more."

He began to perform hand signs, watching the figures approaching.

Team Gai and Link were in the lead, when the sand around them leaped up in five different tentacles of sand. Each grabbed one of them, and threw them in different direction. When the sand pulled back, it had a small amount of blood from each of them. Then the sand began to form into figures, before completely transforming into copies of each of those affected.

Team Outcast stopped short, as the watched Team Gai and Link get to their feet, facing against a copy of themselves. Link shook his head.

"If my memory serves me right, my previous self had to do something like this when wandering the Lake Hylia Temple."

Lee readied himself for combat. "Truly this will be a most interesting fight. For I will be able to test my skills, against my own elf, and see how strong I am."

Naruto looked at them, then back at Sasori and Deidara. Then he turned back to Gai.

"Can you guy's handle yourselves?"

"We'll be fine! Rescue Gaara-san!" Neji yelled, even as he blocked a strike from himself. Naruto nodded.

"Let's do this then." With that, Team Outcast rushed forward.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Many miles away, along the Earth/Fire border, Team Kakashi was on patrol. Kakashi had the new copy of Icha Icha Paradise, which had come out only a week ago. Naturally, Kakashi had camped outside of the bookstore he got his books from for a whole month in advance. Leaving only for missions, and leaving a clone behind. He was the only person to do so in all of Konoha.

Tori and Zurui glanced around their surroundings. Their ANBU training, still fresh in their minds, demanded they keep a watch at all times.

Sasuke just smirked, as he followed behind everyone. _I'll let these fools return home, so that they can tell Konoha that I will return, and destroy the village that betrayed me, and my clan._

Kakashi turned a page in his book, and giggled perversely, before stepping out of the way of a kunai sent at him from the surrounding trees. He sighed as he put the book away.

"Looks like we have business to attend to."

"Indeed, Kakashi Hatake. How nice to see you again." Came Orochimaru's snake like voice. Kakashi immediately became serious, and revealed his Sharingan eye. "Tori, Zurui, get Sasuke back to Konoha. I'll hold him off as long as I can."

"I don't think so." Sasuke said, as he incapacitated Zurui with a chop to the back of his neck. Tori turned, only to be hit from behind by a shinobi of Oto. Kakashi turned to see Sasuke smirking, his Sharingan activated.

"Sasuke?"

"The village betrayed me, and my clan. And I will see it burned to the ground for what they have done. Perhaps I'll even spare Itachi, to let Orochimaru use as his next host body." Sasuke suddenly disappeared, reappearing with chakra surrounding his fist. He slammed it into Kakashi's head, knocking him out, only for the one eyed jounin to poof into smoke. Sasuke turned, to see that Zurui and Tori were gone too.

"Be sure to let Konoha know that I will return, to bring judgement down upon them!" Sasuke shouted, before turning to leave with Orochimaru.

"I wish you would have let me killed Hatake. I so would have liked to have experimented with his body, and added his jutsu's to my own."

"They are all one's you could copy from others. The only original attack he had was Chidori, which I know."

Orochimaru smiled. "Then that will have to do. Now, let's get you trained, and ready to destroy Konoha."

Kakashi stopped leaping through trees, carrying his unconscious teammates. He turned back to look at the direction Sasuke had disappeared into.

_Obito, Minato-sensei. I failed both of you._ Kakashi turned around, and headed back for Konoha.

* * *

**LR: Wait! DON"T DO-!**

**Arashen: DRAGON FURY! (Launches a massive blast of dragon chakra at MM, which blows a hole through the wall of the Ranger Lair)**

**MM: Is that the best you got! AMATERASU! **

**RS: Bro, I think the house is going to come down soon!**

**Allan: Nothing we've got can stop them!**

**Link: He almost melted my shield!**

**LR: THAT'S IT! (Suddenly surrounded by light. When it clears, LR has turned into a massive red and green dragon)**

**LRD: STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU! **

**MM and Arashen calm down out of sheer terror.**

**LRD: IF I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH ONE MORE PERSON BLOWING UP MY HOME, I'LL PERSONALLY RAIN FIRE DOWN ON WHOEVER IT IS LIKE A SPRING RAIN! UNDERSTAND!**

**They all nod. LRD becomes LR again.**

**LR: Good. Now, let's all get to work.**

**K123: That was so cool.**

**Please review. Next up are Blizzard of Love, and Flameburst.**


	15. Rescue and Resolve

**I have to say, I never expected this many reviewer chapters. I have six in total.**

**Anyways, I thought you all should know that I deleted one of my fanfic ideas, and added two more, so please check my profile, and tell me what you think of the last two. The one I deleted was the challenege fic I asked MrWriterWriter for.**

**Anyways, today's guests are Blizzard of Love, and Flameburst.**

**Arashen: BL? I've heard of him. He does interesting reviews.**

**BL: Thank you!**

**FB: Hi ya!**

**RS: Hey!**

**Everyone greets them.**

**LR: So, what's up?**

**BL: Well, I have a question for Naruto. Now that you have two katana's, do you use a dual katana style of fighting, or do you only use one at a time?**

**Naruto: Oh. Well, I do know how to fight with both of them, but I haven't fought someone yet who was strong enough to make me wield both of them at the same time.**

**RS: What about you, FB?**

**FB: I just want to do this! (Blows a raspberry, then grabs Batty)**

**RS: Oh no you didn't! (Grabs baseball bat)**

**FB: Catch me if you can! (Runs out of Ranger Lair, with RS in pursuit)**

**LR: There was chaos.....**

**Allan: .....and nothing got blown up?**

**Naruto: The curse is lifted!**

**Arashen: YES!**

**Everyone starts dancing and celebrating. Suddenly, there is a crash outside, and the power cuts out.**

**RS: LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!**

**FB: HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH!**

Disclaimer: It's not fair. It's just not fair. I don't own Naruto, Legend of Zelda, or Arren and Eflower.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Rescue and Resolve**

Deidara jumped back, as the blade of Uzu Izou came with in inches of striking him. But as he jumped back, Hinata spring boarded off Naruto's back, and hit Deidara in the chest with both feet, knocking him back.

Sasori turned to aid his partner, only to be stopped by an arrow whizzing by his head.

"Hey mister freaky puppet man! Your fight is with us!" Sasori turned to see Arren standing there, with his bow drawn, and Eflower next to him, with sword in hand.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to finish you two first, before helping Deidara catch the Kyuubi." With that, Sasori reached for a scroll on his back, and pulled it out. It was marked "Sandaime".

"Sandaime?" Arren said, as he read the label. "What's with that?"

"This is one of my most powerful puppet's. The puppet I made from the dead body of the Sandaime Kazekgae, after I killed him!" With that, Sasori opened the scroll, and a poof of smoke covered him.

"This should be interesting." Arren commented, as he nocked an arrow to his bow, channeling chakra to the arrow head. Eflower nodded, as she tightened her grip on her sword.

_To Team Gai, and Link_

Lee jumped back, barely avoiding the kick his clone had sent at him. He tried to counter, only to be blocked.

"You are indeed a worthy adversary. But what more can I say of myself?" He said. The clone just kept giving him that lifeless glare, as they charged at each other.

Neji turned to one side, as his clone threw a Juuken at his heart. He struck back, only for his clone to duck under the attack, and kick at him. Neji backflipped away.

_This is indeed dangerous. Even if we have the same skills, he does not feel pain, and will be harder to tire because of it. _Neji again tried to move to help one of the others, only to be blocked by his clone.

Tenten unleashed a flurry of kunai from her scroll. Her clone jumped over them, unleashing a morning star from her scroll.

"Hey, that's my favorite weapon!" She yelled pointlessly, dodging the spiked ball flung at her. _I guess now I know why the others don't like me using it when I spar._

Gai struck his clone across the face, only for the clone to spin around, and smash him in the chest with a counter punch. He went into a back handstand spring, landing on his feet.

"You are indeed strong, and a worthy opponent. But I will win, or I will do 1,000 laps around heaven should I fail."

The clone merely attacked again.

Link grunted as he blocked a overhead swing on his shield, before countering with a thrust. The sand clone of himself parried it away, before hitting Link's shield with a shield bash. Link fell back a few steps, his right arm sore.

_This is nut's! How am I supposed to defeat myself, when I know all my moves? And since he doesn't feel the pain I do, he's that much harder to bring down._

The sand Link rushed forward, and Link readied himself for the next attack.

_With Hinata, Naruto, and Deidara_

Deidara smirked, as he launched a flurry of little clay bombs shaped like birds. Hinata immediately moved in front of Naruto.

"**Protective Eight Trigams, Sixty-Four Palms!**" Hinata began moving her arms at an accelerated pace, unleashing tight beams of chakra from her palms. The beams ripped through the clay birds, only to cause them to explode. The explosions knocked her and Naruto back.

"Okay. This guy is pissing me off." Naruto muttered, as he turned to see more clay bombs coming. He held his sword horizontally to hisright side.

"**Uzu kenjutsu style! Chakra Wave Destroyer!**" He spun to his right, unleashing a wave of chakra from Uzu Izou as he came to face Deidara again. The chakra wave knocked the bombs back at Deidara, before they exploded. Deidara had jumped back.

"Now that was some art! You know, if I didn't have to kill you, I would ask for you to help me show Sasori-sempai what art really is!"

Naruto smirked. "Sorry, but the only art I see here is the beautiful girl at my side." Hinata blushed, even as she pulled out her staff, and extended it.

"She's a looker, I'll give you that. Oh well. Let's have a blast!" More explosion puns, followed by bigger bomb animals.

_To Sasori, Arren, and Eflower_

The smoke cleared from around Sasori. He was standing there, with a massive puppet in a dark brown robe, and a long mane of black hair. The puppet was wrapped around his back, and glared in a lifeless, yet still malevolent way, at the two angel jinchuuriki's in front of him and his master. Sasori smiled.

"Be prepared. No one has seen this puppet, and lived."

"That's not possible." Arren said. "After all, you've seen it, and lived."

Sasori just sweat dropped, before snarling. "You'll pay for your impudence!" He instructed the puppet to attack.

The puppet opened it's mouth, and a stream of metallic looking sand poured out, before hovering in front of them. Sasori smiled.

"The Sandaime Kazekage was considered the most powerful, because he could use this special sand made from metal. IT has many interesting capabilities. Such as magnetism."

Suddenly, the grey sand crackled, and began to tug at the metal objects on Arren and Eflower. Arren just smiled as he lifted his bow. He looked down the iron arrowhead and wooden shafting, aiming right for the center of the grey cloud. Then he released.

The arow hissed through the air, dead on target. It passed through the metallic sand, as electricity coated it. The electricity dispersed the magnetism, ceasing the tug on Arren and Eflower. The arrow itself slipped in the Kazekage puppet's mouth.

Sasori was impressed. "Well, you managed to survive that. But how about this?" He twitched some fingers, and the Kazekage released more sand, which began to form into several long spears while hovering in the air. The spears began to fly towards the duo.

Arren nocked another arrow to his bow. As he did, Eflower moved in front of him, spinning her sword in a defensive ring of steel. The sand spears didn't stand a chance. Sasori had his puppet reform the Iron Sand with more sand that was forcing it's way past the arrow still stuck in the puppets mouth. The sand reformed into two giant shapes. A cube, and a cone. Both shapes hovered over the two.

"Any last words?" Sasori asked.

Arren looked up as he shrugged. He then told Eflower, "I guess we get to fight in the shade," before letting his arrow go. It missed Sasori, and hit the sand behind him.

Sasori smirked. "Your aim leaves a lot to be desired." Then he released the shapes, which fell towards the duo.

_With Hinata and Naruto._

Naruto leaped away, as another clay bomb went off. Their battle had quickly turned to him and Hinata dodging, while Deidara kept attacking with his bombs from range.

"This guy has to have a limit as well." Naruto shouted, as Hinata barely escaped another blast. Her coat sleeve was singed from the near miss.

Deidara smirked. "We'll just have to see who last's longer, won't we?" With that, he launched three larger birds.

Naruto groaned, as one dive bombed him. He threw a kunai at it, and dodged away, as it exploded.

Hinata dodged one of the birds, but the other exploded to close to her. It sent her flying, and her head hit a rock protruding from the sand. Naruto heard her cry, and turned to see her slump over, blood coming out of her head.

"HINATA!" He rushed to her side, ad lifted her head. He quickly pulled out bandages to stifle the blood flow.

"Guess she's not much of a looker anymore, huh?" Deidara laughed, only to freeze as he felt massive killer intent, as well as Kyuubi's chakra. Naruto was surrounded by the red chakra, which seethed with his anger.

"Shut.... the **hell..... UP!**" Naruto roared, as a blast of energy flew off him, knocking Deidara back. Naruto turned to the blond from Iwa, ready to kill.

_Team Gai, and Link_

Tenten crashed to the ground, as a near miss from an explosive tag on a kunai sent her flying. She slowly stood up, exhasuted.

Neji barely ducked under a strike to his head, only to be kicked in the face, he flew several feet, crashing into the sand. He could barely keep his Byakugan activated. _I don't have much left._

Gai found a back hand smashing across his face, as he was sent flying. His clone just re assumed it's stance, as Gai barely was able to stand back up.

Link dodged a downward slash, ducked under a horizontal slash, only to have a boot hit him across the face. He crashed into the sand, and was barely able to roll away, as the sword of his clone crashed into the ground next to him. He stood up, panting heavily, as his clone pulled the sword up, and readied him self.

Lee was hit in the stomach, launching him several feet back. He barely landed on his feet, and skidded, almost falling over. He panted, as he looked at his clone.

_How can I defeat an opponent that knows my every move? He's my equal in every way. How would Naruto-san..._

Suddenly, Lee's eyes widened, and he smiled. "I have been such a fool. I can't beat you as I am now. You were created to be as strong as I was. But Naruto-san, no matter what, would force himself to fight on, and be stronger."

The others all looked at him, as he stood tall. "That is what I must do now. I must be stronger than I was a minute ago. An hour ago. I must be stronger than I was!" With that, Lee disappeared, reappearing as he bashed his clone in the face.

Neji nodded, as he re-assumed his stance. "I must be stronger than I was when this fight began." He unleashed a barrage of Juuken strikes, which blasted his clone back.

Tenten readied her scroll. "I have to be stronger than I was when I started this mission." She unleashed a hail of shuriken which her clone dodged, only to be hit by Tenten's morning star.

Gai smiled. "I must be stronger than I've ever been before!" He suddenly attacked with new fire, hitting his clone several times, before landing a kick to the clone's stomach.

Link looks over his clone. "What can I do? I don't any abilities like that." Suddenly, the back of his left hand glows. He looks at the Triforce on his hand and nods.

Lee struck his opponent repeatedly, before kicking him into the air. He followed up with another kick, before kicking him hard into the ground, yelling "**Springtime of Youth, FULL POWER!**" The clone smashed into the sand, completely dissipating.

Neji charged forward, his right fist glowing with chakra. He smashed it into his opponent's chest, shouting "**Eight Trigrams, Destructive Mountain Fist!**" With a blast, his clone smashed into a rock several feet away, blasting back into sand.

Tenten reached a section of her scroll, and unleashed a huge mass of weapons, which she rained down on her clone. The clone dodged them all, only to be struck by a giant version of her morning star. When Tenten yanked it backed, there was nothing but sand. _I need to thank Link-san for helping me get this._

Gai struck his opponent several times, before jumping in the air. "**Dynamic ACTION!**" With that, he unleashed a powerful barrage of attacks, ending with a powerful kick that drove his enemy into the ground, and back into the sand he once was.

Link slowly raised his left hand, on which the Triforce glowed. Suddenly, his clone was bound in a large version of the Triforce emblem, while Link rushed forward. He swung up, knocking his clone into the air, before jumping up after him. As he drew level, he readied himself.

"**TRIFORCE SLASH!**" Link suddenly cut loose with a barrage of slashes in the shape of the , he swung down smashing the clone into the ground, and back into sand.

(A/N: Yes, it is Link's Final Smash from Smash Brother's Brawl, on the Wii. I thought it would be cool.)

It was at this time, as the five of them panted, and tried to recover, that there was a crash where Arren and Eflower stood, and a wave of energy and anger erupting from Naruto.

_To Arren and Eflower_

Nothing happened for quite a while, but then the two shapes exploded, covering the sand with their iron version. Sasori looked in surprise and horror.

"That's not possible." He whispered. The dust had settled, to reveal Arren saluting him. "Boom." Arren said.

That was the only warning Sasori had, before the Sandaime Kazekage puppet blew up, from the arrow still in it's mouth. Sasori turned from the remains of his puppet, to Arren.

"How did you survive?"

"Quite simple." Eflower said, from beside Arren. "I made a bubble of chakra, which protected us from the Iron Sand. That explosion was me expanding it."

Sasori said nothing, but unleashed his flame thrower on his left arm. The flames sped towards Arren and Eflower. Eflower jumped backwards, while Arren hit the release on his weights. But that one second was all it took for the flames to reach him. The flames had slightly charred him, when he zipped to the side, his armor and shields active.

He raced across the sand, dodging the attacks from the mechanical tentacles from Sasori's back. Sasori launched the saw blade on his right arm at Arren. Arren ducked under, before punching Sasori hard in the face, cracking the puppet's head.

Sasori fell back on the arrow that Arren had shot there, while Arren leapt back. The arrow exploded, destroying the puppet. Out of the smoke rolled the cylinder containing Sasori's heart, and conscious. Arren picked it up, bit his thumb, and wrote a long and complex symbol in his blood, on the cylinder.

It glowed for a second, then vanished.

Eflower joined Arren, who looked over at Deidara and Naruto, only to see that Naruto was a "wee bit" angry.

"Poor guy," Arren said with no sympathy, as he watched his cousin beat the nuke nin. "Hope he doesn't kill him."

_With Naruto_

Naruto was in rage. In him, he could hear Daini screaming for Deidara's head, for what he had done to Hinata, and said about her. Naruto's features had morphed, so he looked like did when he had access to one tail of Daini's power. But no tails had appeared, only the red chakra.

"**I hope you are ready to join Hidan and Kakuzu.**" Naruto growled, as he readied himself.

Deidara, to put it lightly, was scared so bad, he nearly soiled himself. Naruto laughed, as he suddenly disappeared, and reappeared, smashing his fist into Deidara's face. Deidara crashed into the ground, only to be kicked into the air. Naruto suddenly felt Daini in his mind.

"When we're like this, we get access to some jutsu's you can't normally do. But when we fight together, it's another matter."

Naruto nodded, as he began performing hand signs never before seen.

"**Demonic Art! Rage clone jutsu!**" With that, ten Naruto's all surrounded by red chakra, appeared in the air above Deidara. Two of them smashed their fists into his chest, shouting "**Na**!"

Two more hit him with diving kicks. "**Ru**!"

The next pair swung another pair down into a double body slam, which smashed Deidara into the ground. "**To**!"

The last pair came spinning down, smashing him with spinning ax kicks. "**Namikaze Rage Barrage!**"

The clones disappeared, while Naruto stalked towards Deidara. The Akatsuki member was trying to get up with his one arm, when it was suddenly ripped from his body. He screamed out, as Naruto tossed the arm to one side. He stomped a foot onto Deidara's chest.

"**This is for Hinata-chan.**" He whispered, forming a demonic Rasengan.

Suddenly he heard a quiet voice behind him say, "Naruto-kun?" He whirled around to see Hinata awake, while Eflower tended to her. All his rage disappeared, and he returned to normal. He ran to her side, as Eflower finished sealing the wound, and gave Hinata a blood replenishing pill. Naruto gently hugged her.

"I'm glad you're okay." He whispered. Hinata hugged him back.

"Sorry to make you worry." She said to him, only to have him kiss her on the lips.

"As long as you're okay, I don't care."

Behind them, Deidara rolled over, and tried to get to his knees, only to be smacked in the back of the neck by Arren. Arren leaned down, pulled the sacks of clay from Deidara, and tied him up.

"Well, looks like Team Outcast get's another bounty. That's what... three now?"

Everyone laughed, as Lee and Link picked up a unconscious, but recovering Gaara. Suddenly, there was a shout, and everyone turned to see Temari, Kankuro, and Matsuri gliding towards them on Temari's fan.

As it neared the ground, Matsuri leaped off, ad rushed to Gaara. She grabbed his face, lifting it up.

"Gaara- kun? Gaara-kun!" At her yelling, Gaara's eyes opened slightly.

"Mommy, make the spinning stop. My head hurts." He said softly, completely dazed. Matsuri just held onto him, while everyone else burst out laughing. Naruto slowly picked Hinata up, so as not to jostle her head. He turned to Kankuro, who nodded at the sight of the destroyed remains of Sasori's puppet body, and Deidara's unconscious form over Might Gai's shoulder.

"So, mission success?"

Naruto nodded. "Mission success."

They all headed to Suna, to rest and recuperate.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_The next morning_

Itachi opened his eyes, as the new morning sun light fell on his face. He smiled at the sight on his chest. Ayame was asleep, her head resting on his chest, one arm draped over it.

After their kiss in the Hokage's Office, he and Ayame had returned to this room, where they shared a memorable experience. Their new found love and passion demanded nothing less.

Several hours later, with several complaints from shinobi working through out the Tower, he and Ayame and returned to Ichiraku Ramen. After being told of Itachi's return, what had happened, and that they were now in love (but not that they were lovers), Teuchi had threatened to remove a certain part of Itachi if he ever broke his daughter's heart again. Then he smiled, and welcomed the man back.

Over the next three days, Ayame and Itachi were almost inseparable. With no need for his skills as the Hunter ninja Inishi, Itachi spent most of his time learning the art of cooking ramen. When Ayame was given breaks, or when the work day ended, she and Itachi would wander the village.

Last night, Ayame wanted to stay with Itachi. So, they had returned to his humble room in the Hokage Tower, and fallen asleep in each other's arms, after making out for almost an hour.

Now, Ayame began to stir. She slowly opened her eyes, stretched while yawning, then smiled at Itachi. "Good morning. Itachi-kun." She said softly, as she kissed one of his hands.

He gently pulled her up, so he could kiss her on the mouth. "Morning, Ayame-chan. Did you sleep well?"

She smiled. "Sure did. My pillow was the best ever."

"I'm glad to know that my chest is so relaxing to you." They both laughed.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Itachi groaned, while Ayame sighed in frustration. Then Kisame's voice came through the door.

"Inishi, something big's happened! Something involving your brother!"

Almost immediately, Ayame jumped off Itachi, who quickly changed into his Hunter Ninja disguise. She kissed him before he put his mask, on, then he left, while she finished dressing. Itachi and Kisame ran to the Hokage's office, where a team of four ANBU stood. On the desk was Pakkun, the little brown pug summon of Kakashi Hatake. Tsunade nodded, as "Inishi" and "Ago" entered.

"We have a very serious problem. Kakashi Hatake has reported in that Sasuke Uchiha has betrayed Konoha, again, for Orochimaru."

Everyone stiffened, especially "Inishi". One of the ANBU shook his head.

"I knew he would stay a traitor. What was the point of the last three years?"

Tsunade slammed a fist down on the table. "There's not time for this. As it stands, even with the number of ninja we have, we can't launch an attack. No one but myself, Jiraiya, and perhaps two others can handle Orochimaru, let alone in his own village. For now, we need to establish Sasuke's location, so that when the proper teams arrive, we can attack. I'm sending all of you to find Sasuke's current location, and report back with daily updates. I'll inform you when the strike team will be ready."

Everyone bowed, including Inishi, and Ago. They all left to get ready. In his room, Itachi sighed, tears falling down his face.

"Damn you, otouto. Don't make me have to finish what I started." He whispered. Kisame came over as he was all ready to go.

"Itachi..."

"We'll do what we must. My loyalty is to the village. I proved that eight years ago, and I'll do it again, if I have to."

"Itachi I'm all for killing. But this is your brother. The last of your family."

"My family, including my brother, died when I killed them all with Madara. The boy who bears the name Sasuke Uchiha is no brother of mine." Itachi said. Kisame sighed.

"Just don't close yourself up. Remember what you have here. I'll see you by the gate." Kisame left, and Itachi closed his eyes. After several moments, he packed the rest of what he needed, and disappeared.

He reappeared outside Ichiraku Ramen, where he met Ayame and Teuchi. Ayame turned to him.

"Is everything okay?"

"No. Sasuke Uchiha betrayed us, and I have to track him down."

Ayame gasped. Itachi pulled her close. "I'll be gone for a while. But I promise you I will come back. You're not going to lose me, physically, mentally, or emotionally."

Ayame slowly nodded, and Itachi removed his mask long enough to kiss her. Then he was gone. Ayame touched her lips, then turned to her father, who hugged her.

"He'll be okay. And when he comes back, he'll have you to comfort him."

Ayame nodded. "I'll do whatever it takes. I'm not losing him."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Team's Outcast, Gai, and Link stood next to the temporary gate formed in the wall of Suna, while the main gate was still being cleared. Gaara was seeing them off, with Matsuri clinging to him, and Temari standing nearby. Kankuro, after making a rather lecherous remark about Hinata and Naruto, found himself stuck doing Gaara's paperwork.

Gaara smiled, as he extended a hand to Naruto. "I'm glad you arrived when you did. Any later, and I would be in the hands of Akatsuki. Then who would be around to make Matsuri-chan smile?"

Naruto shook his hand, still somewhat amazed at the change in Gaara. "Well, glad we could be of assistance. You need anything else, give a call."

Gaara nodded, while Matsuri talked to Hinata. Temari approached Naruto.

"Thanks for saving Gaara again. Suna really owes you a lot. Could you do me a favor?" She handed him an envelope. "Give this to Shikamaru-kun?" She whispered, so no one else could hear.

Naruto smiled. "You know, if you became the ambassador to Konoha, you could just come and see him your self."

Temari blushed. "I'll think about it."

Naruto nodded. "Well, time to get going. Don't be strangers."

Just as they were leaving, a jounin appeared next to Gaara. "Kazekage-sama, an urgent message from Konoha! They request that Team Outcast return home with best possible speed!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "What is it?!"

"The message didn't say, only that is was an emergency, and that you were needed home, now!"

Naruto nodded. "Gai, you and your team get home as best you can. Link, same with you. Hinata-chan, hold on."

Before Hinata could question him, he had picked her up, and was carrying her piggy-back. Arren and Eflower nodded, as the four of them raced off. Link followed after them, with Team Gai in hot pursuit.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Oto, Sasuke was outfitted with a new sword, named Kusanagi, and clothes resembling that of Orochimaru, and the Sound Five. He wore a white karate gi, which was left a little open at the chest. He had on black baggy pants, which ended above his ankles. Around his waist was a purple rope belt, tied in a bow in the back. His Kusanagi sheathe was secured in this belt.

"Good. Now that you have been more properly outfitted, I have a special mission for you, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru said.

"Why aren't we training?" Sasuke muttered. "I need to become stronger, if we're going to raze Konoha to the ground."

"Indeed. But first, there are a few things that we must do, and will help weaken Konoha. After this mission, I will train in you in the jutsu's I didn't give Danzou to give to you. Then, we will destroy Konoha."

Sasuke smirked. "Then what is your mission for me?"

"I want you to kidnap these two. One of them can help me better understand how to get true immortality, while the other will help lure a source of great power here. Bring them to me, alive and uninjured."

Sasuke nodded. "I understand. When shall I leave?"

"Now. Find a way to infiltrate, and be ready to catch them at a moment's notice."

Sasuke stood, and left. Kabuto emerged from the shadows.

"Orochimaru-sama, why did you simply not possess the boy now?"

"Because, my faithful servant. If I posses him now, I won't be able to hold onto the Sharingan, if I can perfect my Immortality Jutsu. If I wait, then I can keep his body forever!"

Kabuto bowed his head. "I understand. Forgive me."

"Do not worry. Go back to your research. And ready the labs. Soon, an old friend of yours will be stopping by."

Kabuto bowed and left. Orochimaru smiled, confident in his own brilliance.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In the forest's of the Land of Fire, Pein, and Konan sat. Konan was going over the latest information that she had gathered.

"Sasuke Uchiha has left Konoha, yet again. This time, he successfully escaped to Oto."

Pein nodded. "What of the Kyuubi, and the traitors?"

"I've learned nothing of Itachi and Kisame. But rumors indicated that the Kyuubi headed to Suna, in the company of a team of Shinobi that he commands, and another team."

"So, we can assume Sasori and Deidara failed?"

"I believe so. Also, I've heard disturbing rumors about two of the Kyuubi's teammates. It is said that they themselves are jinchuuriki, but lesser ones than the nine tailed biju's."

"They will be no threat. Even Naruto is no threat to a god." Pein said in his arrogance. He believed himself to be a deity, because of his power, and his vision. Too bad he had never heard of a man named Xerxes.

(A/N: Reference to 300. Xerxes saw himself as a god-king. Even if he won at Thermopylae, his reputation was shattered, when he got a spear across the face.)

* * *

**LR: Well, that's all for this one.**

**RS: Give it back! (Loud explosion outside)**

**FB: HAHAHAHHAHA! Never!**

**Link: Shouldn't we help?**

**Naruto: Who?**

**Link: FB.**

**Arashen: Not if you want don't want to die.**

**BL: Well, I'm glad I decided to ask a question, instead of causing chaos.**

**AP: A wise choice.**

**LR: Well, as long as they don't damage the house more than that power line, we should be fine.**

**Sudden imprint on the wall of a baseball bat.**

**RS: STOP MOVING AROUND, AND LET ME HIT YOU!**

**LR: I'm not fixing that.**

**Link: (sighs) My turn I guess.**

**Please review. Next up are Chewie Cookies, and Rena the Jedi Pirate Wizard.**


	16. Don't Piss Off Jinchuuriki's Part 1

**This is number 5. One more to go, and the reviewer chapters are done for another story. Today's guests are Chewie Cookies, and Rena the Jedi Pirate Wizard.**

**RS: Isn't she the one** **who does what you do? Imagining herself into various books and movies?**

**Rena: Yes I am.**

**CC: Hello.**

**Everyone: (slightly cautious) Hey!**

**Rena: What's up with you guys?**

**Link: We're scared that you all might cause some chaos.**

**LR: No fear! These two are some question reviewers.**

**AP: Really? So, what are their questions?**

**Rena: Well, I have one for LR. How do you manage to update so fast? You've got two complete stories, and one you're working on, in four months. **

**LR: Truthfully? This is kinda sad, but I really have a lot of free time on my hands. But being able to just keep writing, and not get bored? I guess, I just have this imagination that keeps me going. I can't stop daydreaming all the time. So when I get into a story, I never really seem to have a hard time in thinking of what comes next. And I really like what I do, so I just keep going. There's no real secret, I just like writing.**

**CC: My turn! And I have three questions!**

**LR: Well, we'll split them up.**

**CC: Okay. Well, since Daini isn't here, Naruto!**

**Naruto: Yeah?**

**CC: Can you tell me how to find a secret admirer like Hinata?**

**Naruto: Well, I guess you just need to see if there is someone like her that you know. Is there someone who always seems to help you, and praises you? You just need to look around, and hope for the best.**

**LR: Sorry, the other two will have to wait. On with the story!**

Disclaimer: Sorry, no chaos this time. I don't own anything here but Naruto's swords, and the story idea. That's it.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

**Don't Piss off Jinchuuriki's**

**Part 1**

In a record time of one and a half days, Team Outcast crossed the border back into Konoha. HInata was still being carried, as her endurance was the lowest of the group, despite her constant training. Eflower had lasted until halfway through the second day, and was now being carried by Arren. Naruto and Arren, both having biju's of extremely high endurance, were able to keep going at a blistering pace, stopping only for night, and short breaks.

As the second day drew to a close, the team stopped to make camp. Naruto looked over his map.

"We've made good time. We should reach Konoha by afternoon tomorrow, if we keep this pace up."

Hinata sat next to him. "Naruto-kun, you and Arren are exhausted. I think we can take it slower tomorrow."

Naruto shook his head stubbornly. "We'll be fine. We need to get home, and fast."

Arren nodded in agreement. His physical endurance was still higher than Naruto's, but not by much. But Naruto's chakra endurance, thanks to his constant training, and Daini, was greater than Arren's.

There was silence for a few minute's, while they relaxed and sat around the campfire. Suddenly, Arren looked off to his left.

Naruto, seeing his cousin's attention shift, glanced that way too.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. I thought I felt a couple of foreign chakra signatures. Off that way." He closed his eyes, and his chakra flared momentarily, before settling. He nodded.

"There's two people out there, all right."

Hinata activated her Byakugan. "How could you tell?"

"I reached out to the energy flowing through the plant life out there. Through that, I detected chakra that was human. Of course, they may be animal, but it sure didn't feel like it. And since their moving, they can't be plants."

HInata focused in that direction. She gasped as the two came into view. "Naruto-kun, there are two member's of Akatsuki out there. And their chakra is massive. Not on your level, but still big."

Naruto opened a scroll containing information on Akatsuki given to him by Itachi. "Well, that probably means they are the leader, Pein, and his partner, Konan. From what Itachi was able to gather, Konan uses some type of paper origami based jutsu. Pein is a whole lot tougher. Itachi said he has a doujutsu, called it the Rinnegan, or something like that. He beat Itachi easy with it."

HInata and Eflower stiffened at this news, while Arren raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Naruto nodded. "In our current condition, you and I are probably the only ones who could fight him, and even then, it would be close. Let's hope they wait till tomorrow."

Hinata shook her head. "No such luck. Their coming this way."

Naruto sighed. "Maybe I can deal with this another way. All of you, stay ready, but don't get involved unless you have to."

Naruto got to his feet, and waited. All around them, the forest was alive with the sound's of Nature's night life. Then, one direction began to quiet down. The silence slowly grew closer. Naruto smiled.

"You might as well come out! We know you're there!"

With almost no noise, the two figures appeared. Pein was tall, with spiky red hair, similar to Naruto's. He had grey eyes, made of several circles heading inward to his pupils. He also had several black nails and earing's on his face and ears.

His companion was almost as tall, with short blue hair, decorated with a paper rose. The two of them looked around the camp.

"You seem relaxed, considering you are facing two of the strongest member's of Akatsuki." Pein noted. Naruto shrugged.

"Makes it easier for you, doesn't it?"

"Don't mock him." Konan snarled. Naruto sighed.

"It's late, my team is tired, and I'm betting you two are as well. We can do three things. One, have a fight with all of us not at our best, meaning the odds go slightly up for us. Two, you both can wait till morning, and we can have a real fight then."

"Unacceptable." Pein said. Naruto held up a hand.

"Or three, since you and me seem to be the most well rested, and strongest of our respective groups, me and you can have it out over in that clearing. No one else get's involved."

Pein turned to look at the clearing, while Hinata gasped. "Naruto-kun, what are you doing?"

Pein turned back to Naruto. "I take it you have conditions?"

Naruto nodded. "If I win, the two, or just one, of you return to your base in Ame, and came after me another time. If you win, you get me, but you leave my team alone. Do we have a deal?"

Pein looked at Naruto. In truth, it didn't matter to him. He and Konan would win, no matter what. But this way, their was a good chance that Konan wouldn't end up being hurt during the conflict. And, if he had only one person to deal with, the fight would be easy. "Deal. Shall we begin?"

Naruto nodded, and turned to go to the clearing. Hinata jumped up and grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?" She asked again, fear and worry all over her face. Naruto turned, and cupped her face with his hand.

"Making sure all of you are safe. Don't worry. I'll be back, I promise."

Hinata slowly nodded, and Naruto kissed her. Then he went, and joined Pein in the clearing. The two faced each other.

"You shouldn't have made a promise you can't keep."

"I never go back on my word. Now let's go." Naruto got into his stance. Pein sighed, and slowly moved into his own stance.

The two looked at each other for a few moments, then Naruto acted. He leapt forward, moving at a speed that would rival Lee's with his weight's on.

Pein barely moved to one side, and Naruto's punch sailed harmlessly past his head. Naruto felt an explosion in his head, as he was hit, and sent crashing several feet away. He slowly got up, looking at Pein.

"_Be careful. That doujutsu is powerful. Maybe even stronger than the Sharigan, and Byakugan._" Daini said from with him.

Naruto nodded, and decided to take it up a notch. He attacked again, moving even faster than before. This time, Pein had some difficulty in countering Naruto's attack, as he blocked another punch, followed by a kick at his stomach. Suddenly, Naruto's speed increased even more, and several of the punches slipped through, knocking Pein back a few steps. Naruto smiled, as he released the jutsu he had used. _I have to thank Anko for that __**Rapid Fist Jutsu**_. Naruto moved again, stirking at the Akatsuki leader.

Pein was amazed at the speed Naruto was achieving. "You're not even using the Kyuubi's chakra yet. How are you this fast?"

"I trained my butt off. Now shut up, and concentrate on the fight." Naruto said with a smirk. Pein decided he had enough "warming up".

"Very well." With that, Pein began moving at the same speed Naruto was. Naruto grunted as he ducked under a fist, and blocked a kick at his ribs. Suddenly, a fist smashed into his gut, sending him flying.

Naruto held his stomach, as he got back up. Pein placed a pair of scrolls on the ground, and summoned to more beings from it. One had long straight red hair, while the other was fat, with short, sleek red hair.

Daini's voice became urgent. "_This is where it becomes dangerous. The Rinnegan has the ability to control the five main elements. Also, it allows the wielder the ability to share their consciousness with multiple bodies. Each of them can see what another see's._"

_Which means surprise attacks won't work here. Well, we'll just have to cover all of them_. Naruto performed his trademark hand sign.

"**Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Fifty Naruto's popped up. Some began performing hand signs, while others drew their Uzu Izou's. The three Pein's formed a triangle, as the Naruto clones attacked.

The real Naruto held back. He couldn't use mist to blind the Pein's, as they could use the Rinnegan to cancel it. And the memories he was receiving showed that one Pein was skilled in taijutsu, while another absorbed his chakra and element attacks. The original was skilled in Water based jutsu's, and was also skilled in taijutsu.

_Well, this is bad. _Naruto thought.

With Hinata, she watched wide eyed, as the two combatants faced each other. Eflower and Arren were busy watching Konan, who stood to one side. The paper wielder turned to Hinata.

"He is good, I'll give him that. But no one can beat Pein-sama. He is a god."

Hinata shook her head. "Don't underestimate Naruto-kun."

Naruto watched as the last clone was destroyed. A few had gotten a couple of lucky hits, but the three Pein's still stood strong. Naruto sighed.

_Any ideas, Daini nee-chan?_

"_Well, you could remove the weights for one. Then hit him with all your speed, and maybe that RasenShuriken._"

Naruto nodded, as he released the weights. They fell to the earth with loud thuds, and created small craters. Naruto smiled, as he created more clones. The clones attacked again, while the real Naruto got ready.

The taijutsu Pein took down two clones, and looked up to see another swinging it's sword at him. He destroyed it, only for it to blast apart into gale force winds. That Pein was sent flying. But just as he was getting up, there was a whirling noise. Naruto was on it, shoving his attack into it's chest. "Pein" was sent flying into a nearby tree, and didn't get back up, as it's nervous system was shredded by the attack.

The original Pein noted this, and quickly summoned the other three Peins into combat. Naruto turned to see one Pein with spikes coming out of it's head launch a number of missiles into his clones, destroying many of them. Naruto grimaced under the strain of many memories hitting him at once. Another Pein summoned a giant, multi headed dog into combat.

"Okay, this clearing is getting crowded." Naruto said, as he leapt back, biting his thumb. The dog turned, and charged at him, as he finished his set of hand signs on tiger.

In a poof of smoke, a giant, five headed green dragon appeared. Naruto landed on it's back, while it leapt into the air.

"**Master, what do you need?**" One head turned to look at him, while the others eyed the dog on the ground. Naruto pointed at it.

"Take him, and as many of those guys in cloaks out as you can!" The dragon head's nodded, and reared back, before spewing a wall of flame down at the ground. The summon was caught in it, and burned into ashes. But the large Pein from before absorbed the attack like it was nothing. Naruto sighed, as he began to feel the drain on his own chakra.

_I can't take much more._ He thought to Daini. She immediately began opening her power to him.

"_Then let's end this, and fast!_" Naruto nodded, as the dragon landed, and disappeared. Naruto accepted the power coming Daini, and her red chakra enveloped him, forming five tails. He crouched down low, growling.

Pein and his bodies backed up at feeling the power coming off him. Suddenly, he vanished, leaving a small sonic boom in his wake. The Pein's turned, as the one who had summoned the dog, a man with long red hair in a ponytail, was grabbed by a chakra claw, and smashed into a bunch of trees. Naruto rushed forward, making hand signs they had never seen before.

"**Demonic Art, Demonic Shockwave!**" Naruto slammed his hands into the ground, and a pair of chakra claws did the same. It created a huge shudder through the ground, which caused it to blast up in a mighty wave. The four Peins caught in it were sent flying, until multiple chakra claws grabbed them, and brought them near Naruto. He growled as he stared at the lead Pein.

"**I'm tired, and more than a little pissed off right now. I could crush the four of you, before dealing with the last two. But I don't feel like it. So here's the deal. You leave with paper girl over there, and don't bug me for a few months. The next time we meet, we'll finish this. Got it?**"

Pein just looked at him. "Why not kill me now? You certainly could."

"**Like I said, I don't feel like it. Now, will you leave**, **so I can get some shut eye?**"

If Pein wasn't so emotionless, he probably would have had a massive sweat drop on his four heads. He nodded, and Naruto released the four of them. They gathered the trashed body of the taijutsu expert, and the damaged body of the summoner, before joining with Konan. Pein turned back to Naruto. "You won, because I underestimated you. That will not happen again." With that, they left.

If they had stayed for a few more minutes, they would have seen Naruto enter Team Outcast's campsite, and collapse out of sheer exhaustion.

Hinata pulled Naruto up right, and fed him a soldier pill. He nodded at her gratefully, as his energy picked back up. "Thanks Hinata-chan."

Arren smirked. "So, you didn't feel like killing him?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not at all. But I'll have to, one day."

Arren nodded. "And I'll be there to help you."

Eflower joined in. "Me too."

Hinata smiled, as she kissed Naruto. "I'll be there, right by your side."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks guys. But for now, I need to sleep." And with that, he fell unconscious.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In the morning, Naruto had recovered enough for them to head out. They went as fast as they could, but their speed was lower than that of what it once was. By mid-afternoon, almost evening, they arrived back in Konoha, and reported in to Tsunade.

"The mission was a success? Good. Anything else?"

"Team Gai and Link we'll get back here in a day or two. Also, we ran into Pein and Konan on the way home. Me and Pein fought to a draw, and the two of them backed off."

Tsunade looked up at Naruto with respect in her eyes. "You fought off a SS ranked ninja? Impressive."

Naruto shrugged. "So, what is this emergency? The village seems fine to me."

Tsunade sighed. "I hate to say it, but.... Sasuke Uchiha betrayed the village again, and defected to Oto. He personally told Kakashi he was going to raze Konoha to the ground, before attacking a shadow clone of him."

Naruto stiffened, as his anger leaked out. Hinata gently took his hand, while Arren swore. Finally, Naruto calmed down, although an aura of anger hung around him.

"I see. What is it that you need my team for?"

Tsunade sighed. "This is an S-ranked mission. And the only reason I'm giving it to your team is because you and Arren are amongst the strongest shinobi I have that I can send in. I'm sending your team in to Oto, to assassinate Sasuke Uchiha, and if possible, Orochimaru. I have a team of ANBU and Hunter Ninja's looking to confirm Sasuke Uchiha's whereabouts. When they do, we'll send your team in."

Naruto nodded. "For the good of Konoha?"

Tsunade closed her eyes. "For the good of Konoha. For now, your team will rest, and train. We won't have any information for a few days. In the mean time, you have a speech to prepare.**"**

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I do. I guess you'll announce about Itachi and the teme then, right?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, before you. Tomorrow, at two. Don't be late."

Naruto sighed. "Right." With everything that had happened, he had forgotten about the speech. Hinata gently took his hand, as they left.

"You'll be fine." Hinata said with a smile. "Besides, this will be a chance for you to yell out to the whole village. I thought you like doing that."

Naruto smirked. "The old me, who wanted attention, but was too dense to see he had your's, would have loved to do that. This me just hopes they don't try and stone him."

Hinata squeezed his hand. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Naruto nodded in appreciation. As they exited the Tower, Arren and Eflower went off to do something together, while Naruto and Hinata headed off. They walked through the Village for a bit, talking and enjoying each other's company. Along the way, Naruto noticed a shop. He made a Shadow Clone, who disappeared into an alleyway. Hinata gave him a puzzled look. Naruto smiled.

"I forgot I needed to do some shopping. So I sent the clone to do it, because I wanted to stay with you. Another wonderful use of the Shadow Clone."

Hinata giggled, and hugged Naruto's arm, leaning her head against it.

Meanwhile, at the gate, a pair entered Konoha. One was a man, bent over, and holding onto a staff for support. A young man, with straight brown hair and blue eyes, held his other arm, supporting him. They were stopped by the chuunin guards.

"Who are you, and what is your purpose here?"

"Please sir, we just came for some medication for my father, that we can only get here. That's all." The young man said. The chuunin nodded.

"Very well. I hope he feels better."

"Thank you." The pair entered, and proceeded around a corner. As they did, the "father" straightened up, while the "son" removed his hands, and pulled the tight wig off his hair.

"This village is pathetic." Sasuke said, as he pulled the colored contacts out of his eyes, and placed a cloak and hood around him. The other man did the same. Sasuke turned to him.

"You remember the target's. We'll do recon for now, and pick them up tomorrow. Do not blow your cover, or I will be forced to kill you."

"Understood, Sasuke-sama." The shinobi from Oto disappeared, while Sasuke did the same.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto slowly got out of his bed the following morning. He glanced at the bedside table, where a small box stood.

_It's not time yet. But when it is, I'll be ready. _He went through his morning routines, before noticing a snoring sound coming from Link's bedroom in the apartment. He went over, only to spy the Hylian hero, dead asleep, and still fully clothed.

"He must have gotten in during the night. Wonder if Team Gai is back too?" Naruto went over to the couch in the living/dining room of the apartment. He fell onto it, and let his mind wander into Daini's "home". He found her with bed hair, eating a bowl of Demon Flakes.

"Hey nee-chan. Just get up?"

"Yeah. I'm not entirely awake yet, so no big words, please." Naruto just chuckled, as he sat down. After a few minute's of munching, Daini glanced at him.

"What's on your mind?"

Naruto sighed. "What are we going to say? Hey everyone, I'm the son of the Yondaime, and Kyuubi is now a good girl, who regrets what she did, and want's to help? I doubt many are going to buy it."

Daini shrugged. "We'll just do what we can. If they don't accept, it's their fault, not yours."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Well, guess I should get going. It was ten when I entered, and who knows how much time has passed? Mind scape time, and real time pass differently."

Daini nodded. "I'll be ready when you are. We're in this together, right ni-san?"

"Right nee-chan. Together."

Naruto returned to the real world in time to see Link leave his room, dressed in a fresh set of his green tunic and cream colored pants. Naruto nodded at him, as he got up, and checked a clock.

"11 o'clock. Still got some time."

"Huh?" Link asked. Naruto nodded at the clock.

"My big speech to the village is at 2. Be at the plaza outside the Hokage's Tower by then."

Link nodded, as Naruto turned to leave. Then he turned back. "Make sure to back up. We're moving into my families estate afterwards. I'll pass it on to Arren and Eflower."

Link nodded again, as Naruto left. After informing his cousin, and Eflower, Naruto went out to wander a bit. Eventually, he found himself on top of the Hokage's monument. He sat down above his father's head.

"Hey dad. How's things been going around here?"

The giant face remained silent, but Naruto nodded. "That bad, huh? Doesn't surprise me. Most of the people in this village are screwed up anyways. But the shinobi are all right."

He sighed. "Dad, I don't know what to do. Akatsuki are after me, Sasuke left again, and I'm probably going to have to kill him. I know I'm a shinobi, and a jounin, but I'm still a teenager, for crying out loud. I should be worried about my girlfriend, and my future, not surviving against S-ranked ninjas, and assassinating betrayers and sannin."

He dropped his head. "Was it like this for you too? When you started down the path to becoming Hokage, did you have to put up with all of this?" Then Naruto looked up, and saw the village. He saw hundreds of people, going about their lives. Innocent children playing, and doing kid stuff. Young couples walking, sitting, talking, or kissing. Married couples shopping together, or going out to just be together. Naruto slowly nodded.

"That's why we do what we do, huh dad? To make sure people like them can have happy lives. They may not have done it for me, but I'm not going to be like them." Naruto stood up. "I'll be Hokage one day. So that when this village needs me, I'll protect them, even if it may cost me my life. Just like you, the old man, the Nidaime, the Shodaime, and old baa-chan."

Naruto looked over the village again, before disappearing.

The day wore on, and at two, all the people gathered in front of the hokage Tower. Civilians, Academy students, and low level genin crowded the plaza, while more experienced shinobi used the advantages of chakra to leap onto roof tops, or cling to walls, trees, and power line poles.

Tsunade appeared on the roof of the Tower, along with Shizune, Jiraiya, and Naruto. The crowd became silent, but more than a few civilians were angry to see Naruto. Tsunade nodded as she looked over the crowd.

"People of Konoha. I'm afraid dark times of recently come. This village has long since been lied to about certain events, pertaining to the Uchiha clan."

The people began to mutter at this, while Tsunade continued. "In the aftermath of the Kyuubi's attack, rumors spread that it was the Uchiha clan who had summoned the Kyuubi. These rumors spread, and in time, the Uchiha clan began to fear for it's survival. They decided to take over Konoha, in order to protect themselves."

At this, more than a few civilians, and even a few shinobi cried out in protest. Kakashi was shocked, as he learned that the clan his friend Obito was from, would betray the village.

"People, what I say is true, for the Sandaime had a spy in the Uchiha clan! Itachi Uchiha passed information to the Sandaime, Danzou, and the elders, concerning the Uchiha. The documents are accurate."

The crowd quieted down. Tsunade nodded. "Many believed the Uchiha Massacre was because Itachi was insane, or sought power. The truth is worse. The elders, and Danzou, forced the Sandaime to order Itachi to destroy his clan."

Loud cries of surprise and confusion ripped through the crowd. To quite a few of the older shinobi, who knew Itachi, found this information confirmed their suspicions. Itachi would never destroy his clan merely for something as trivial as power. It made more sense if he did it in service to the village, as he was ever the loyal shinobi.

"Itachi Uchiha destroyed his clan to protect Konoha from civil war. He spared his brother though, because of a siblings love. He then became a spy in the organization known as Akatsuki, and has been passing us information on them ever since. Until recently, that is. Team Outcast, under the command of Naruto Namikaze, escorted Yugito Nii home to Kumo. They encountered members of Akatsuki, including Itachi Uchiha, and Kisame Hoshigaki. These two surrendered to the group, and are currently employed as Hunter Ninja's for Konoha. On this day, I decree that both are to be pardoned, and made ninjas of Konoha!"

There were mixed cries of approval, and outrage. Tsunade raised her hands.

"If we are to keep the Sharingan, this is necessary! Sasuke Uchiha is no longer a shinobi of Konoha!"

The crowd quieted down in shock. Tsunade lowered her hands. "Sasuke has betrayed Konoha again, after learning the truth behind the destruction of his clan. He wishes to see Konoha burn to the ground."

The crowd turned to each other in fear and panic. In their minds, Sasuke would run rampant across Konoha, destroying them. The shinobi shook their heads.

Tsunade bowed her head. "It is a tragedy that Sasuke's heart has been hardened like this. But this is what comes of him being pampered, while the true hero of Konoha was shunned!"

The crowd looked up at her, as she indicated Naruto. "His whole life, Naruto has been carrying a burdened he did not ask to bare! He has done more for this village than any of the Hokage's, past and present. You all now of what I speak!"

The crowd muttered in angry protest. One man shouted out. "He's a demon! He should have been killed when he was sealed!" More shouts of approval came out, only to be silenced as Naruto stepped forward. He looked over all of them, before turning to look at the mountain behind him.

"You all see their faces, looking down at us? Each Hokage gave his life to protect this village. My father up there, he was one of the greatest. He sealed Kyuubi in me, to keep Kyuubi from destroying Konoha. He gave his life, with only one wish. That I be treated as a hero."

He turned back to the crowd. "My whole life, until the day I graduated from the Academy, I wondered why everyone hated me. When I finally learned the truth, I feared that you all were correct. Until one man unknowingly set me straight. When I was compared to a best, he said that a beast would ravage and destroy everything in it's path. But that was not who I was. I was Naruto Uzumaki, and citizen and shinobi of Konoha."

"My whole life, until recently, has been spent protecting this village. I was the only thing keeping Kyuubi from finishing what she started. Yes, Kyuubi is a girl. And she want's to talk to all of you."

With that, Naruto closed his eyes, and Daini appeared next to him. She looked over the crowd.

"People of Konoha, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune." With that, she dropped to her knees. "And I'm so sorry for what I have done. I have caused this village much pain and suffering. I have caused so many deaths, so much heartache. I can never be forgiven for what I have done."

She bowed her head. Most of the crowd was silent. One woman shouted "I don't believe she is the Kyuubi! It's a trick!"

Daini looked up, tears in her eyes. She closed them, and turned into a smaller version of her kitsune form. Her nine tails hung to the ground, as she slowly opened her eyes.

"**Now do you believe me?**" She almost whispered. Everyone was shocked. Daini hung her head low.

"**This boy has suffered much, because of my attack on the village, he grew up with no family. Because of your hatred of me, he has suffered being alone and ignored for most of his childhood. Yet....**," She turned back to her human form.

"Yet he has kept going, kept believing in himself. He has always cared for this village, and will gladly give his life to protect it. Please, if you should be angry at anyone, be angry at me, not my jailor."

She sank to her knees again. There was silence for a long time, until Naruto touched her shoulder. He looked up at the crowd.

"Many of you know about m blade, Fuzen Ate. You saw what I did to Sasuke's curse mark with it. My friend Link allowed me to examen his sword. The pure energies of his blade destroyed the evil in Kyuubi's soul, and made her this person before you. My nee-chan, Daini. What she did while evil was horrible. But now, she seeks only to aid me in my dream. To protect this village, and everyone in it, no matter the cost to myself. Please, give her a chance, as I have."

Tsunade moved forward. "Naruto Namikaze, as you have achieved the rank of jounin, and are sixteen, I hereby award you with your inheritance, of the Namikaze estate, and all that is with in. I'm also decreeing that should anyone harm Naruto, Daini, or those who are related to Naruto through blood or law, will be punished by way of execution."

She looked over the crowd. "Many of you call Naruto a demon. After everything he has been through, would a demon be willing to forgive all of you? Who are the true monster's here?"

With that, she waved her hand, dismissing them. Most of the crowd who had hated Naruto left in silence, with only a few still clinging to their beliefs. In the back of the crowd, a cloaked figure snorted.

"Pathetic. This whole village is really pathetic." With that, Sasuke disappeared.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After the meeting, Naruto, Arren, Eflower, and Link moved into the Namikaze Estate, which bordered the hyuuga Estate. Hinata had been happy, as this meant Naruto could be near her.

All of Naruto's friends, and their sensei's spent the rest of the day touring the estate, which featured numerous rooms, a library, a training dojo, and a artificial hot spring. After talking for a while, everyone left. Naruto, Link, Arren, and Eflower retired to their respective rooms for the night.

Around midnight, Naruto's sleep was disturbed by a dream.

_Naruto's dream_

_He was standing in an ancient temple. In front of him was a swirling mass of energy, which looked like it had bubbles in it. These bubbles contained what looked like various places in them._

_A voice echoed through his head._

"_Find the Nexus, and prevent the King of Evil from using it's power."_

Naruto awoke to Arren slamming his door open.

"Eflower's missing!"

* * *

**LR: Cliffhanger. You all hate it, but it is necessary.**

**Naruto: AWWW MAN! It was getting good!**

**Daini: I'll say.**

**CC: Daini, there you are! I have a question for you!**

**Daini: Okay, shoot.**

**CC: Well, have you thought about having a boyfriend with Haichibi, or** **Shukaku?**

**Daini: I did go out with that eight tentacle jerk, and he broke my heart! But.... I haven't thought about Shukaku. Who knows?**

**CC: Wow. Well, okay. I have one last question for Hinata.**

**Hinata: I guess it's good I stopped by today.**

**Naruto: Hey there beautiful. (Kisses Hinata. LR sighs)**

**LR: I need a girlfriend.**

**CC: Anyways, Hinata! Are you two going to restart the Namikaze clan, or are you just going to have a regular family? Because I know you two will want more than just one kid, and naming one as your heir will be tough.**

**Hinata: (Blushing) Well, I just want to have a family with Naruto-kun. Whether it is a ninja clan, or a regular family, it doesn't matter to me.**

**Naruto: (Blushing as well) I, uh, I don't know yet. I want to be with Hinata-chan, and I want a family. But I've been busy dealing with Akatsuki, and stuff, I haven't thought about it.**

**LR: Well, that's it for this round. **

**RS: And nothing got-**

**LR: DON'T SAY IT! YOU'LL JINX US!**

**Please review. Last Reviewer chapter is next, and features Chakram Soldier, and SilverWingedAngle. It's not a typo, they spelled their name that way. **


	17. Don't Piss Off Jinchuuriki Part 2

**All right readers and reviewers. This is the last reviewer chapter for Legend of Naruto. Do not despair, as** **more will come in the other stories. Here's the latest on my stories stats.**

**This story has almost surpassed Fox Knight. 520 reviews, 43,158 hits, 14 communities, 165 favorites, and a whopping 217 alerts. In every category but hits and communities, my story is almost, or better than my last one. **

**Thanks to all for reading, and for liking. Now, on to the reviewer chapter! Today's guests are** **Chakram Soldier, and SilverWingedAngle**.

**RS: Who are they?**

**LR: Their new. So be on your best behavior! (Glares at her)**

**CS: Hey.**

**SWA: Hi!**

**Everyone: Hey!**

**LR: So, what's up?**

**CS: Not much. I got a question for Lady Tsunade.**

**Tsunade: What do you want?**

**CS: Why are you the only one to summon slugs? Sasuke can summon snakes, Naruto can do toads, just like their sensei's from the sannin. But only you can do slugs. Why?**

**Tsunade: The slugs are rather picky about who can summon them. Only females who prove their worth can actually sign the contract, and summon them successfully. **

(A/N: Forgive my interruption here, but I don't know if this is true. I just made this up)

**CS: Huh, go figure.**

**SWA: My turn, and this one is for Arashen.**

**Arashen: T'sup.**

**SWA: Those Ranger jutsu's of yours. Are they only bow based, or can you do a few with your sword. **

**Arashen: I can do quite a few with my sword. I just never really needed to.**

**LR: Well, I have a question!**

**Everyone: What?!**

**LR: I have a question for Allan Pike, my beta.**

**AP: Okay, and why didn't you just PM me about it? **

**LR: Because I wanted to do this here, and make you more of a part of this. So, when Arren goes angel mode, does he get a cool angel sword, or no.**

**AP: Not exactly... you see, his blade shields get upgraded when he goes angel. When he goes demon, the shileds get a boost. And if he were to merge the two, go both angel and demon, then we're talking a whole new level of weaponry. **

**LR: Cool. Well, that's all the time we have. Now, on to the main event.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Zelda. I don't own Arren and Eflower. I also don't get why I need to do this time after time. It's boring and pointless, and I'm sure others agree with me.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**Don't Piss Off Jinchuuriki**

**Part 2**

Twenty minute's after Arren burst into Naruto's room, the two were in the Hokage's office. The blond Godaime had been asleep on an order form, when the two had burst in. Now, ANBU were busy scouring Konoha for any sign of Eflower Angelius.

Naruto was busy giving Arren what comfort he could, while wondering where Hinata was. He had sent for her, so the three of them could go look for their lost teammate together. His question was answered when Hiashi came in, looking grave.

"Hokage-sama, I have bad news. Hinata is missing as well. We presume she was kidnaped, as Neji was found badly injured outside her room. He's in the hospital, and will recover."

Naruto slowly sank into a seat. "Hinata." He whispered, as Tsunade sighed.

"Was he able to identify his attacker?"

Hiashi nodded. "He clung to consciousness long enough to tell us. It was Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto slowly felt his rage taking over, as Daini howled in his head. Arren looked up from where he was sitting, his head originally in his hands.

"He probably took Eflower as well. Orochimaru would love to get his hands on an angel, since he could use her to further enhance his immortality jutsu. We need to go rescue them now!"

He got, and was headed for the door, only to be stopped by a pair of ANBU. He turned back to Tsunade, furious at being stopped. She raised a hand to try and calm him.

"You can't leave yet. We need to confirm this, and prepare a strike into Oto-."

"There's no time! Who knows what could be happening to them!"

"Tsunade, I agree. We can't wait." Naruto said, standing up. His face was calm, but you could see the cold fury that had overcome him.

Tsunade knew Naruto was being serious. That was the only time he called her by her name. She sighed as she sat back.

"Naruto, it will take until morning to assemble a proper strike team. Until then, there's nothing we can do."

Naruto pointed in the direction of Oto. "There's a strike team all ready out there. Itachi Uchiha, and Kisame Hoshigaki. With those two, we can do this. Please, baa-chan."

Tsunade shook her head. "It's too risky. I'll-." She stopped as Naruto turned to Arren, who nodded. In one movement, Arren had removed his headband, and threw it on her desk.

"Then I resign from Konoha!" Arren shouted. Naruto nodded.

"I will too, baa-chan. I'll take everything I can from the Namikaze estate, rescue Hinata and Eflower, and then leave, never to come back. I mean it."

Tsunade just stared at them in disbelief. "You're going against the Hokage. That could be considered treason."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Kakashi sensei told me those who break the rules are lower than trash. Those who abandon their comrades are lower than that. I'm not abandoning Hinata-chan."

Tsunade sighed, before tossing the headband back to Arren. As he caught it, she turned her chair.

"Get going. I'll have a strike team follow as soon as they are ready."

Naruto and Arren nodded. As they headed for the door, Tsunade's voice rang out. "This isn't helping you become Hokage, Naruto."

Naruto turned back. "Going against the Hokage, and forcing her to let me go? Yeah, maybe I am destroying my chances to be Hokage. But being Hokage doesn't matter to me if the one I love is dead because I played it safe." With that, he was gone. Tsunade sighed.

"If he does become Hokage, he will be one of the best."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Itachi moved forward slightly, getting a better view of his target. The entrance to the underground shinobi village known as Oto. Nearby, two ANBU, and Kisame were also hidden from view.

The team had arrived at Oto, and sent word to Konoha, saying they had confirmed Sasuke's presence in Oto. When a teenage boy and old man left the underground entrance, Itachi had confirmed it was Sasuke and an Oto ninja with his Sharingan. Two of the ANBU had left to follow them.

It had been nine days since they had set out to find Sasuke Uchiha. Now, as morning mist clung around them, they noticed movement. Itachi's Sharingan watched the figures, and noticed something odd.

"There are two of them, but it looks like each is carrying two objects. Bodies from the look of it." The ANBU stiffened, while Kisame clutched the hilt of his still disguised sword.

Itachi watched as the two figures drew closer, revealing Sasuke and the Oto Nin. Each carried one of the two ANBU that had followed them, and another body. Itachi waited till they had entered the underground complex, before turning back to the ANBU.

"You two fall back, and get a message to Konoha. Inform them of what we've seen here. Go!" With that, the two ANBU vanished. Itachi sighed as he turned back to the entrance. Kisame came next to him.

"You know, those other two bodies were alive, right?"

"Yes, I know Kisame."

"That one kinda looked like the Hyuuga girl on the gaki's team. You think we should go in and investigate?"

"No. For now, we hold, and see what happens."

Kisame sighed. "All right. I just hope I get a little action soon. This is really boring."

Itachi nodded. "I'm usually the patient one, and for once, I agree with you. But let us wait for action that we can come home alive from."

Kisame nodded as he moved back into position. Itachi sighed.

_What are you up to, Sasuke?_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Orochimaru chuckled, as he saw Sasuke and the Oto ninja dump the four bodies on the floor. Two were Konoha ANBU, and were as dead as a door nail The other two were Hinata Hyuuga, and Eflower Angelius. Both were unconscious, gaged, and tied up.

"Very good, Sasuke-kun. With this one girl, I can perfect my immortality jutsu. And with the other one, we can lure Naruto here, and then use the power of Kyuubi to destroy Konoha."

Sasuke smirked. "What about afterwards? What will you do with her when Naruto's out of the picture."

"Why, she will be your's, of course. You can breed a much stronger Sharingan, by having a child with her."

Sasuke looked at Hinata. "She is strong. Maybe she would make a fitting mate for an Uchiha. She will certainly do better than she would with that loser."

Orochimaru chuckled. "That's the spirit. Now, take her to her prison cell. Then come back, and I'll begin training you."

Sasuke carried Hinata away, while the Oto nin carried the two dead ANBU to Kabuto's lab. Kabuto emerged from the shadows, and Orochimaru pointed to Eflower.

"Take her to the lab. We'll break her first, so we can get all the information out of her, before we begin experimenting on her." Kabuto nodded, and carried Eflower away.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Arren and Naruto moved with all speed towards Oto. Due to how close it was, they reached the border just as the sun had reached mid way though the sky. Almost as soon as they had passed the border, they ran into the two ANBU Itachi had sent to send a message to Konoha.

"Namikaze-san! What are you two doing here?"

"We are pursuing Sasuke Uchiha, as he has kidnaped two Konoha shinobi. Are you two part of the team sent to confirm his location?"

"Yes. He is currently in Otogakure, several miles north. The two hunter nin's are waiting there."

Naruto nodded. "Send your message to Konoha, and wait for a reply. We'll move in, and join up with the hunter nin's."

The two ANBU nodded, and left, while Naruto and Arren made their way north, towards Itachi and Kisame's position. Both of them were thinking the same thing.

_Please, be safe._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Eflower slowly woke up. The last thing she had remembered was feeling an unfamiliar presence in her new room in the Namikaze Estate. Then there was a flash of pain, and she was unconscious again.

Now, she found her self strapped to an operating table. She looked around, realizing that she was in some type of lab.

"Where am I?" She asked fearfully, looking around for a source of light or life.

"This is my personal experimentation lab." Said a snake like voice. The owner of the voice stepped into her view, revealing a snake life figure.

"Orochimaru." Eflower said in fear and anger. She began struggling against her bonds. "Let me go!" She screamed in rage.

The snake sannin just smiled. "A feisty one, aren't you? I'll enjoy making you scream." With that, he lifted his arms. Two snakes cam out of the sleeves of the robe he wore as the Otokage. They slid their way onto the table, and up to Elfower's legs, before biting into the sensitive inner thighs. The outcast angel bit her lip so hard to prevent herself from screaming, she drew blood. But she refused to give the snake any satisfaction.

Noticing her reaction, Orochimaru smiled. "Oh, this will be fun." He disappeared into the shadows. After a few minutes, Arren appeared. Efower's heart leapt for a brief moment, only to stop when Arren's face became a sneer. He opened his mouth, only to disappear as Eflower closed her eyes for a brief moment. Orochimaru returned from his hiding spot.

"I've never seen anyone escape a genjutsu that quickly. Care to share how you did it?"

"Like I would tell you anything! You're nothing but a twisted, evil, cowardly snake!" Eflower yelled, as the personality of the biju sealed in her began to merge with her own. She spat at Orochimaru, which caused him to stop dead, and wipe the spit from his face. Then he smiled.

"This will be the most fun I've ever had." He whispered. Then the torture began again.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was nearing twilight, when Naruto and Arren arrived in the general location of Oto. Naruto glanced around before opening his other senses to their surroundings. "They should be here somewhere."

Arren glanced around as well. I can barely see anything with all this damn mist."

Naruto suddenly turned towards one tree. "Up there. Only one person I know of would smell like both ramen and pocky."

The two of them leapt up into the tree, where Itachi and Kisame were waiting. Itachi nodded to both of them.

"Hokage-sama sent both of you?"

"Yeah. We were the assassination team for both hebi-teme and your brother, but Eflower and Hinata-."

"Were kidnaped. We saw them go in, but were unsure if it was them, or a trap."

Naruto nodded. "Well, let's get in there. Slowly though."

The four ninja's leapt down, from the tree, and slowly entered the lair of one of Konoha's greatest enemies. Naruto led the way, with Itachi behind him, followed by Kisame, and then Arren. The hallways were ill lit, the only illumination being from torches mounted in the wall every few feet. They were heading down a staircase that twisted to the right. Eventually, it came down to a hall, which they proceeded down carefully.

After several minutes, they came to a T-shaped intersection. Naruto looked in each direction. "All right. Me and Itachi will head to the left. Arren, you and Kisame should head to the right. Use your wireless radio if you run into trouble."

Arren nodded, as he secured the radio to his neck. Naruto, Itachi, and Kisame all did the same. With that, they separated.

Naruto and Itachi walked for several minutes, checking whatever rooms they came to. So far, nothing. Naruto turned to Itachi.

"I'm going to have to kill Sasuke."

"I know."

"That doesn't bother you?"

"My brother died the day I wiped out the Uchiha clan. The one who claims his name is no brother of mine."

Naruto nodded. The two kept going onward.

Arren and Kisame were moving in the opposite direction. So far, they had come across several turns, and rooms. Kisame sighed.

"I was hoping for a little action." Just as he said that, a kunai came flying at him. He grabbed it, and dropped it, as ten Oto ninja's appeared ahead of them. Ten more dropped behind. Kisame and Arren moved back to back, while Kisame pulled out his sword.

"Well, finally. What say we have a little contest?"

"Whoever disables or kills the most wins?"

Kisame smiled. "You're on." With that, they launched themselves at their enemies.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hinata slowly regained consciousness. She groaned, as she felt like she had a terrible headache. But when she moved to touch her head, she found her arm was weighted. She opened her eyes, to see her arms chained to a wall of a prison cell. Her legs were the same, and she noticed there was chakra repressing seals on the manacles. She looked around, until she noticed who was standing on the other side of the cell bars.

Sasuke was idly twirling her staff in one hand as he watched her. He smirked as he retracted it.

"A good weapon. Well balanced. But of course, only really effective in your hands."

Hinata glared at him. "What do you want?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Power, Konoha burned to the ground, the killers of my clan, including my traitorous brother dead at my feet. Oh, and a suitable wife to rebuild my clan with."

"So you're not gay? Naruto-kun will be shocked, he thought you were for the way you treated Sakura."

Sasuke flared up, but then calmed down. "I don't like your lip. I guess I'll have to teach you proper manners when I take you as my own."

Hinata snarled. "I would never let a tiny, limped dick emo like you touch me that way."

"Why? I'm a much better choice than that baka."

"That 'baka' beat you when he came back. He understands what it means to truly be strong, and he cares for me as a person, not as a means of procreation. He is a far superior ninja, and future husband, then you can ever be."

Sasuke snarled in anger. "You'll regret that. I'll see to it." Sasuke turned, only to see Naruto's fist connect with his face, knocking him back. He dropped the staff, which Naruto caught. Naruto turned to Hinata.

"Miss me?"

"I knew you would come." She said with a smile. Naruto reached into his coat, while Itachi moved past him.

"Naruto, I'll hold my brother off. You get Hinata, and get out of here." Naruto looked up at Itachi. They looked at each other, and Naruto saw what Itachi planned to do in his eyes. He nodded to the older Uchiha brother, and picked the lock, while Itachi turned to face his brother, who was standing up.

"Itachi. I guess I get to finish you off here."

Itachi just looked at Sasuke. And in that moment, he knew he had failed. He closed his eyes. "Otouto. I wanted to protect you. Protect you from the corruption of our clan, and the Konoha Council. I see that I have failed. I'm sorry Sasuke." With that, he drew the sword from it's sheathe on his back, while Sasuke drew his Kusanagi from his belt sheathe. The two looked at each other, and then disappeared, reappearing with their Sharingan's activated, and their blades locked.

Naruto had picked the lock, and Hinata's shackles. He hugged her close, kissing her with all the passion he could. Hinata returned the kiss. They broke apart, and Naruto nodded with his head to the way he and Itachi had come.

"Let's go." The two of them left the cell, and were headed down the hallway, when several Oto ninja's came out to stop them. Naruto and Hinata got ready to fight.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Arren and Kisame left the pile of disabled or dead ninja's behind them. Kisame was smiling.

"I got 12 of them. I guess I'm winning."

"Those last three didn't count. I had already wounded them, they just hadn't fallen over yet when you killed them. So I got 11, to your 9."

Kisame grunted. They made their way through the underground village, occasionally finding more enemies, and taking them down.

They entered one hallway, and found it deserted. Arren was leading, when he heard a slight rumble from behind him. He turned in time to have Kisame push, while the ex-Kiri ninja jumped back. A stone wall landed in between them. Arren slowly stood up, and banged on the wall.

"Yo Kisame! You hear me?"

Kisame's muffled reply came back. "Yeah. Look's like I'll have to catch up later. Go ahead, and find your girlfriend!"

Arren nodded, before turning, and moving onward. Eventually, the walls around him became more like that of a cave. Two eerily red colored torches flanked a wooden door. Arren approached, and opened it slowly.

Inside was a massive hallway, lit by torches in brackets on the columns. Arren slipped in, and slowly walked forward, until he heard a chuckling noise.

"Well, well, well. Look's like the angels boyfriend came looking for her." A kunai knife came streaking out of the shadows. Arren dodged behind a pillar, his nature armor forming around him.

"Seems the snake's gay, four-freak is defending his even more freakishly gay, disgusting master." Arren said from behind the pillar, trying to pinpoint Kabuto's location.

Kabuto laughed as he moved from pillar to pillar. "Is that the best you can do? Your girlfriend could insult much better than that. Right before she screamed."

Arren cursed the fact that Kabuto wasn't standing still. And he was getting closer. Silently, the warrior started to climb the pillar he was hiding behind. "Scream? Snaky must have really pissed her off to get her to scream in anger."

Kabuto grinned, as he was sure he was near where Arren was hiding. He silently lunged out, his kunai striking where Arren's head should have been. All he hit was stone, as a voice rung out above him.

As soon as Arren heard the sound of metal hitting stone, he dropped down from the pillar, his foot aiming for Kabuto's head. Kabuto cursed as he threw up an arm, blocking Arren's kick. The Oto Medic-Nin lunged upwards, trying to sever the tendons in Arren's leg with his kunai.

Arren used Kabuto's arm as a platform and jumped off it. As he shot towards the roof, the warrior hit the release on his weights, sending them crashing down towards Kabuto. Arren flipped before hitting the roof, and landed on it feet first. Bending his legs to absorb the impact, all the kinetic energy he had been using transformed into elastic pontail energy. With the added gravity potential energy, his speed as he jumped off was much faster than it normally would be without his weights.

Kabuto dodged the falling weights, only to get plowed into the ground by Arren. Arren didn't notice the glowing hand that hit him below his heart.

Arren nodded grimly as he got out of the crater. Kabuto had been dealt with, so he started moving towards the throne room, when sudden pain shot through his chest. With a sharp gasp, he placed a hand over the main area where the pain was coming from.

Kabuto slowly stood up, his body still regenerating from the crash. He smirked at Arren, who was on his knees, grasping his heart. "My chakra scalpels are good, aren't they? I did the same to Naruto when he hit me with a Rasengan. I've severed the artery leading from your heart. You're now bleeding to death internally." He advanced on the kneeling Uzumaki, his hands glowing green once again.

"Damn it." Arren whispered, as his legs buckled, refusing to let him stand back up. Suddenly, he felt Haiya's presence in him. The cheetah/wolf hybrid growled.

"**C'mon kid. You going to let one wound stop you from getting our Phoenix? Get up, and fight!**"

Kabuto sneered as he stood over the used to be human. "I hope that Orochimaru let's me experiment with her when he's done. Maybe I'll even let her carry my child." After those words, he swung his arm up ready to take off Arren's head. But as he was swinging his arm down, Arren twisted with lighting speed, and hit the arm, shoving the chakra scalpel into Kabuto's throat. The Oto medic nin looked in horror, as blood seeped out of his mouth. Arren slowly rose to his feet**.**

"Never piss off a jinchuuriki." Arren said, before turning, and leaving Kabuto to bleed to death. Then he slowly stumbled towards the door at the end of the hallway.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_To Sasuke and Itachi._

Itachi dodged another fireball that Sasuke had launched at him. He threw several shurikens, only for them to be deflected by Sasuke with a kunai. Their swords lay forgotten, as they had an all out battle. Behind them, Naruto and Hinata were mopping up the last of the Oto nin's. The battle hadn't been help by stray attacks from the Uchiha battle. Naruto turned as he downed his last opponent, watching Itachi fight Sasuke. He could see nothing but pain in Itachi's eyes, while Sasuke's were full of anger, and hatred. He gripped his sword tightly.

Itachi, almost sensing what Naruto was going to do, yelled back at him. "Get going! I'll hold him off!"

Naruto shook his head. Hinata gently took his hand. "Naruto-kun, do what you need to. I'll be fine."

Naruto looked at her, gave her a small smile, and then kissed her. He leapt into the fray, his sword forcing Sasuke to back off. Itachi glared at him.

"I have this, now go!"

"No way. Itachi, I see what you're going through. You still love your Otouto, even if he is a back stabbing teme."

"If he cared for me, he would join me! Join me in razing Konoha to the ground!" Sasuke yelled, as he launched a wave of shuriken. Naruto blocked most of them, and dodged the rest. Itachi closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened, they were emotionless. "I have to do this. My loyalty is to the village." With that, he started going after Sasuke with everything he had. Sasuke was startled, as Itachi was fighting even harder than before.

Itachi unleashed a huge fireball on Sasuke, and he barely dodged it. He ran through some hand signs, and lightning surrounded his fist.

"**Raikiri!**" He yelled, launching his modified Chidori at Itachi. It hit Naruto, and blew through him. Naruto fell to the ground, dead.

Itachi attacked again, but Sasuke was able to outmaneuver him, and strike at Itachi's arm. The kunai in his hand cut deep, and Itachi's arm fell useless at his side. Sasuke smirked, as he rammed his kunai through Itachi's heart. Itachi stood there.

"Impressive, Otouto. But unfortunately, not good enough." Suddenly, Itachi turned into dozens of ravens. Sasuke cursed.

_A genjutsu!_ He released it, just in time to see Itachi ram his sword through his body. Sasuke stood there, unable to comprehend what was happening, even as he coughed up his own blood. He looked up at Itachi, who stared at him.

"How? I'm.... I'm so much stronger now." Sasuke whispered. Itachi shook his head.

"You have more power, but you can't control it. Because you lack something. Not hate, Otouto. You lack true strength. The strength of comrades. With that, you would have easily killed me."

Sasuke just stared, as he slowly sank to the floor. Then he fell over on his side. He closed his eyes, and breathed his last.

Itachi stood there, looking at the corpse on the floor. He didn't realize that his Sharingan had deactivated, or that his eyes overflowed with tears. Suddenly, there was a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Naruto standing their.

"I'm sorry, Itachi-san."

Itachi looked down. "I don't feel anything. Is this what I have become? An emotionless monster?"

Naruto sighed. "In the academy, several teachers told me that when I kill, I wouldn't feel anything. If I did, I was messed up. I've learned that they were wrong. We're human, through and through. And even if you're not consciously feeling anything, I can tell you're torn up inside." Naruto proved this by holding up a hand that had caught several tears. Itachi wiped his face, as Naruto smiled.

"Besides, what do you feel for Ayame nee-chan? Surely someone without emotions could love her, could they?"

Itachi slowly nodded, as Naruto turned back to Hinata. Itachi stopped him.

"Naruto-san, you have a rare gift. Don't ever lose it."

Naruto nodded. Itachi sealed Sasuke away in a storage scroll, and with Hinata, they headed out to find Arren and Kisame.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Arren stopped by the door, panting. He could feel his angel powers working over time to heal his wound. But unlike Kyuubi, they took time. Arren shrugged aside the pain he felt.

_Plenty of time for that after I've rescued Eflower._ Arren thought, as he pushed the door opened. He stumbled inside, and the door closed behind him. The room was dark, unnaturally so. Arren looked around, until he heard an evil, snake like chuckle.

"Well, I see Kabuto failed. You must be strong to get past him."

Orochimaru stepped out of the shadows. Arren slid into his fighting stance, wincing. "Where is Eflower?!" He demanded

"The girl? She's occupied at the moment. But don't worry. She's otherwise fine. I can't hurt such a source of information, can I?"

Arren gritted her teeth. "Let her go."

"Ahhhh, the classic hero line. Well, Mr. Hero, I will respond with another classic line. If you can beat me, she's free to go. Now, shall we?"

The only response the snake got was a growl from Arren, as he launch himself at Orochimaru.

* * *

**LR: Well, I wasn't expecting this, but this has developed into a three part arc.**

**RS: Cool**

**AP: Hey, are you going to ask them?**

**LR: Oh right.**

**Me and Allan are having a creative difference here. Ever since I hinted at Daini having a relationship with another biju, he's wanted to try something. I disagree with it, and so, we wish to ask you, the readers, for your opinion.**

**If the biju's start having romantic relationships, which pairings do you all think work.**

**A: Daini(Kyuubi)XShukaku and Haiya(Arren's biju)XOnbin Tsume(Eflower's biju)**

**B: DainiXHaiyaXOnbin**

**C: DainiXHaiya**

**Onbin Tsume is the Golden Eagle biju from chapter five, and her name translates to Gentle Talon.**

**Please review, and vote!**


	18. Don't Piss Off Jinchuuriki's Part 3

**The reviewer chapter's are done, and now back to the normal chaos and such. Here's the latest on that little poll me and Allan had.**

**For DainiXShukaku, and HaiyaX Onbin 12**

**For DainiXHaiyaXOnbin 3**

**and for DainiXHaiya 2**

**Now for all of you out there, this was merely a vote to figure out which you all thought was best. This in no way whatsoever was actually meant to affect the main part of the story. It may, however, affect the end of the story, when I'm writing the epilogue. You'll all see.**

**AP: Which means I can address a few things about the poll. Firstly, Haiya getting involved in romance was completely my idea. Secondly, the jinchuuriki's don't have to be in a relationship in order for the biju's to. Thirdly, Arren and Eflower will have their seals modified so their biju's can get out. Fourth, option B isn't a harem, but a love triangle. And lastly, if you change your mind on the pairing, please let us know what your old, and new choice is. (Why is Shukaku such a popular vote? Is a crazy bloodthirsty psychopath!)**

**LR: You done yet?**

**AP: For now.**

**LR: Good. Because if you ask me, it was the bloody freaking seal! Besides, it's my story, and I can change it so Shukaku is a all right guy! **

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Legend of Zelda, Arren, Haiya, Eflower, or Onbin. Everything else, unless I says otherwise, is mine.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

**Don't Piss Off Jinchuuriki**

**Part 3**

Eflower lay still on the table she had been strapped to. Someone entering the room would have recognized it as a lab for experimentation and torture of the human body. Only the most heartless and cruel of people wouldn't try to help the woman on the table. Her body was a mass of cuts, bite marks, and injection wounds. But what would have compelled most to help her was the blankness in her eyes. Within her, the combined powers of her angelic DNA, and the biju Onbin were working to heal the wounds littering her body. The Eagle biju currently was in the form of a 25 year old woman with brown-blond hair, and piercing tawny colored eyes. Pausing from the heavy work she was doing on restoring her host's body, the demoness wiped a hand across her sweaty brow, as she looked around the mindscape.

Every living being has their own unique mind scape. Eflower's took the shape of the hollowed inside of a light brown tree. Both the consciousness of Eflower and Onbin were currently there in the main chamber of the mind scape. The outcast angel who this place belonged to was currently huddled in the only shadow of the cylinder shaped room. The reason for her behavior was simple. During his mental torture of her, Orochimaru had managed to hit a buried nerve. He had called her weak, relying on other's to fight for her, and to protect her. And as much as she tried to deny it, Eflower truly believed the snake's words.

_Arren-kun, Naruto, even Hinata. They all fight, even though Hinata told me that she hates violence. But she's strong enough to fight for those she believes in. Maybe I am weak. Maybe I am nothing._

Angrily, the stressed demoness stormed up to the angel. "**Don't you dare think that what that.... that, that THING said was right! For crying out loud, you're acting like that Hinata girl did! Remember what she told us! Then Naruto helped point out what made her strong! And just like she realized, you're not weak! Who stood against all the teachings she had learned in life in order to save that which she was meant to kill? Who stood next to their love even as they both were attacked by a more powerful ninja? And who stood with him again in one of the most deadliest fight's he probably has ever been in? I'll tell you who!**" With that, Onbin crouched down in front of Eflower, and ripped her arms away from her face. She stared the angel in the eye as she finished what she was saying.

"**Her name is spelt E-f-l-o-w-e-r. Ring any bells?**" Before the angel could respond, the mind scape shook, reacting to an explosion in the physical world. Onbin looked upwards towards the tree chamber's ceiling, before smiling.

"**Look's like the cavalry is here.**"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Painfully, Arren slammed into the wall at high speed, creating long snaking racks to appear in the wall. The warrior's appearance had changed since he had entered the room. The reason was simple, as he was using Haiya's power. His exposed skin had become covered in a unique, yellow gray colored fur with Cheetah spots dotting it. His canines had become long and sharp, no longer human teeth, but wolf like fangs. Arren's eyes still held their darkness to them. But now they were yellow, with slitted cat pupil's. His ears closely resembled wolf ears, except they were slightly rounded, like the cheetah half of Haiya. The last change to his body was a long cheetah like tail, but bushy in fur, like a wolf.

Of course, his body wasn't the only thing to change. His armor had shifted appearance as well. Originally blue and yellow, the blue had been replaced with a deep red. Runes now covered the armor, none of them alike in shape or color. His helmet had grown, now covering his mouth with a face guard. The helmet had taken on a more feral, almost demonic look to it. The blade shields he had once wielded had merged with the armor, allowing him to summon blades from any part of his body. But the armor was slow moving, and the original defensive power had been lessened. In his right hand, he carried a big, rugged, blood red chain whip.

The power boost from using Haiya's power should have allowed him to go toe to toe with Orochimaru. But the heart wound he took from Kabuto was having a deadly affect. It was rapidly weakening him, and his angel chakra was starting to run low from trying to heal it in mid battle. The snake sannin was taking full advantage of this, doing everything to get Arren's blood running, and thus, pushing him closer to death's door.

The snake launched a fist at the heavily breathing warrior's head, as Arren leaned against the wall. As swiftly as he could, he shifted his head left. HE almost completely dodged it, except for a slight grazing against his helmet. With a flick of his hand, the chain swept upwards. As it hit the snake's arm, Arren channeled demonic chakra into the chain. It wrapped around Orochimaru's arm, and shredded it.

"Very impressive." Orochimaru smirked, as he vaished. Arren groaned as he looked to his left. There stood the snake, completely unharmed. "That chain isn't a normal weapon. Care to tell me what it is?"

"**It is Ikou**." Arren, his voice now deeper and more demonic sounding, pushed himself off the wall. "**A person so obsessed with knowing every single jutsu should know about the history of this weapon.**"

The very moment Arren revealed the whip's name, Orochimaru's eyes widened significantly. "Ikou, the demon part of the legendary Kitai whip chain? The weapon used to avert what would have been the greatest war between angel and demon in over a thousand years? Where did you get it?"

"**You got the history part right on the money. But I'm not telling you where I got it.**" Said Arren, as he slid into his fighting stance. "**Haven't fought a fight like this in ages. It's been six years since this weapon has seen the light of day. Even longer for Chisoku.**" As the warrior spoke, he softly winced, wavering slightly as the wound took it's toll. Orochimaru smiled in sadistic delight as he caught the slight sign of weakness.

(A/N: Okay. The name of the chain completed is Kitai (hope). The two parts are Ikou (power), and Chisoku (speed))

"You still have no chance against me. Even with that chain, you will fail." As he laughed, he opened his mouth wide. And out of it came his sword, Kusanagi. He grabbed the handle, before charging Arren.

"**You're the one whose going to fall!**" Arren snarled at the snake as he jumped back. With an expert flick f his hand, the warrior sent the bladed chain at Orochimaru's head. Using his snake like flexibility, Orochimaru dodged it, while slashing at Arren's exposed elbow, where both his pauldron and bracer ended. Arren saw the attack coming, and managed to shift his arm mostly out of the way. Instead of taking off his lower arm, the blade left a deep slitted cut in Arren's arm. Hissing in pain, Arren channeled more of Haiya's chakra into the chain, causing it to whip back, aiming for the back of Orochimaru's head. Orochimaru, sensing the attack coming, ducked under it. As it sped overhead, he grabbed one of the non bladed parts, and heaved on it, trying to pull Arren towards him. But Arren let go of the chain with a curse, and it disappeared in Orochimaru's hand. Rapidly, Arren made hand signs, roaring as he finished.

"**Water Style, Giant Vortex Jutsu!**" Out of the very air, and the damp walls and ceiling, water formed together in a large ball. That was before it unleashed itself at the snake in a giant waterfall like vortex. With a smirk, Orochimaru finished his own hand signs.

"**Earth style, Rock Wall jutsu!**" He called out, as a wall of solid rock formed out of the ground in front of him. With bone crushing force, the vortex of water smashed against the rock wall, causing it to shudder, and a few cracks to form in it. The stoutness of Orochimaru's earthen defense held, and the water subsided. As it did, Orochimaru stepped out from behind the wall, his hand's held in the last hand sign of his jutsu.

"**Lightning style, Static Vortex Jutsu!**" Bolts of lightning sprang from his fingers, spiraling together to formed one spinning bolt of electricity. Arren smirked as he readied his defense.

"**I always liked cats.**" He said, as he finished his last hand sign. "**Now I get to be a copycat! Earth Style, Rock Wall Jutsu!**" Another wall of rock formed, this time in front of the hero, instead of the villain. The lightning bolt smashed into the rock wall, causing it to crack badly, and almost fall.

(A/N: This is due to the five element pentagon. Fire beats wind, which beats lightning, which beats earth, which beats water, which beats fire. The only reason it held this time was the thickness of the wall.)

Suddenly, Arren leaped onto the wall, finishing his next jutsu. "**Wind Style, Pressure Damage Jutsu!**" Arren unleashed what most considered a suicidal attack. A large force of cutting, pressurized wind was launched at Orochimaru. It slammed into him, and the snake screamed as he was shredded into pieces. Arren was buffeted by the force of the wind. As it ended, he dropped onto the ground, clutching his heart, as he wondered where he should go to find Eflower. Suddenly, out of no where, he felt the snake's presence. The angel demon whirled, coming face to face with Orochimaru.

"Boo." Like a striking snake, his hand grabbed Arren by the throat. The Pikku warrior was lifted into the air, struggling to breathe and break free. Orochimaru spun one hundred and eighty degrees, smashing Arren into the ground. The impact smashed the stone floor, and Arren fell to the room beneath it. Groaning, he slwoly struggled to his feet, as the pain of the severed arteries increased by a ton.

"**Kid, we can't take much more of this!**" Haiya yelled at the warrior, who mentally agreed as he slowly glanced around the room. His eye's widened as he found the very person he had been looking for.

"**E!**" He yelled as she stumbled over to her. He became horrified as he saw the wounds covering her body, each more painful than the last. But what really pushed daggers into his damaged heart was the vacant look in her eyes. Gently, he took her hand in his. "**What have they done to you?**" He whispered to her in shock.

"Like what I've done?" Orochimaru taunted, as he landed behind Arren. "I'm pretty sure that I've shattered her mind beyond repair. You should have heard her scream in the end."Arren slowly stood straight, his back to the snake, his eye's becoming emotionless. Smirking, Orochimaru readied his blade. "Don't worry. Once I'm done with her, you two will be reunited. Just not in this world, I'm afraid." Laughing, the snake.

Ikou suddenly wrapped itself around the blade of Kusanagi, and in a burst of energy, shattered the blade. Orochimaru stared at the shorn hilt. "How? He asked, as he stumbled backwards. He froze at the look of anger and hatred that arren gave him. It was unlike any he had seen before.

"**You'll pay for this, you BASTARD!**" He roared, before emitting a huge wave of energy, that slammed the snake back into the wall behind him.

Naruto, Hinata, and Itachi felt the blast from where they were in the facility. After finishing off the group of Oto shinobi they were fighting, Naruto turned in the direction it came from.

"That energy.... it's Arren's! But, it's different. More bloodthirsty. Someone really pissed him off." He turned to the others. "Let's get him and Eflower out of this hell hole." The other two nodded, before they followed Naruto down a corridor.

Painfully, Orochimaru pushed himself away from the wall he had smashed into, only to stop and gape in horror at the site before him.

"W-what are you?" He whispered in fear, at the sight before him.

"_**I am a being unlike any other, ORochimaru. Angel, demon, nature, and human. All four of the greatest power's known to exist on this world reside in me. And now, I channel all that power towards one single task.**_ _**Now, I. Will. KILL YOU!**_" Arren roared, as he unleashed a wave of killer intent. The power of this KI was unlike any other. For as he said, those four power's resided in him, and combined, they equaled a strength that no mortal had ever achieved, or probably ever would. Poor Orochimaru was the target of this combined killer intent. The sheer power caused his organs to freeze, as did the sight of the armor Arren now wore.

The armor, once yellow and blue, then yellow and red, had changed again. Yellow had become white, and red had become a dark, almost black red. The armor was much sleeker than when Haiya had influenced, giving him even greater speed. White angelic, and red demonic runes covered his armor. But the main transformation was the helmet. Now, all but his eyes were covered in dark, blood red metal, that had taken the shape of the head of Haiya, the wolf/cheetah hybrid biju. Two streaks of white lead from the eyes, down the back of the helmet, to a number of long, white blades that trailed from the bottom of the helmet. Arren's eyes glowed white from with in the shadow's of his helm.

Behind Arren waved five demonic tails. (A/N: Quick note. No, he's not the five tailed jinchuuriki. Allan said something about his angel chakra messing with Haiya a bit. I don't fully understand, so ask Allan.) And from his back sprouted six, snow white angel wings. The wings were beautiful. But that beauty did not give a sense of peace, but one of absolute fear, for it made the last Pikku warrior look terrifying. In one hand, he held the rugged, blood red chain Ikou. In the other was the smaller, sleeker, snow white sister of Ikou. Chisoku, the angelic chain.

"_**Chains of the afterlife. Tolls of Guardians. You have given many the power to protect. But now, that power is not enough. Ikou, Chisoku, you must reunite once more. Come forth Kitai, hope of all!**_" With that, he smashed the two chains together.

Still a distance from the lab, Arren's killer intent hit Naruto and company. For HInata, even at a distance, it was unbearable. She collapsed, falling to her knees, as she whimpered in fear. Naruto, having withstood the killer intent of Kyuubi, and Shukaku, dropped next to her, and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her to him, whispering comfort. Still, he could feel fear gripping his own limbs. Itachi leaned against a wall, completely paralyzed by what he was feeling.

All over the world, people felt the combined power of this killer intent. Ninja's were put on edge by it, while civilians were almost petrified. Konoha, being the closest to Oto, felt it the most. Tsunade looked worriedly towards Oto.

_What is going on? _She wondered, before shouting, "Shizune, get that strike team together, and DO IT NOW!"

Arren cut off the KI, allowing Orochimaru to fall to the ground, choking as he tried to snake was terrified as he heard Arren speak.

"_**Kaimon, OPEN!**_" Another blast of power ripped out of the warrior, as he opened the first chakra gate. Once more, Orochimaru was slammed into the wall. "_**Kyumon,OPEN!**_" Another blast, and Orochimaru was slammed against the wall. "_**Seimon, OPEN!**_" The third blast, as the third gate was opened, smashed Orochimaru through the wall. Arren was suddenly over him, wrapping an armored and clawed hand around the snake's throat. Easily, he lifted Orochimaru off the ground, forcing him to stare into his eyes.

"_**Prepare yourself, for pain unlike any other.**_" He hissed straight into Orochimaru's face, as Katai whipped around Arren. The chain had Ikou's length, but was as sleek as Chisoku. It was red and white, with no distinguishable pattern.

Arren let Orochimaru go, only to drive his fist into the snake sannin's gut. The force of the impact sent shockwaves, as Orochimaru crashed through another wall. Orochimaru could barely sand, the evidence being as he struggled to his feet. But he quickly finished the hand signs for his greatest defense. The triple Rashomon walls. Arren snorted as he looked up at them.

"_**Please, give me a challenge.**_" HE said, as he held up his open right palm. The chain whipped by him, and tore through the walls. The thump of it ploughing through the demonic metal was soon replaced by the tearing of flesh, followed by a scream. The walls dissipated, revealing Orochimaru on the ground, holding the stump of his right arm. Kitai hovered in the air, waiting for it's next command.

"_**Damn, the barrier's threw my aim off.**_" Arren cursed, as he recalled his weapon. "_**On the up side, I get to inflict more pain!**_" The last word was a roar, as Arren practically teleported next to the snake. He grabbed him off the ground, and hit him with a vicious uppercut. Like before, the impact sent shockwaves. As he flew upwards, ORochimaru knew he was in trouble. Kusanagi was shattered, and his arm was gone, preventing him from performing jutsu's. Before he could even think of something, Arren appeared next to him, driving his knee into Orochimaru's back, sending him higher. Arren continued his assault with a barrage of punches, launching the snake higher. Shockwaves accompanied each hit. Arren ended his assauly with dual hammer blows to the head, followed by a elbow to Orochimaru's gut. The snake sannin was sent streaking back towards the ground, while Arren curled into a ball, and began spinning forward. He followed Orochimaru, gaining speed, until he was a blur. Before Orochimaru hit the ground, Arren brought his foot around in a spinning axe kick. His target, Orochimaru's groin

(A/N: This was Allan's idea, as was most of the fight. Orochimaru may be gay, but he's a guy. And that would really hurt.)

The result of the kick was this: Orochimaru's eyes widened, until it looked like they would pop out. His mouth opened, and he screamed. The scream was actually so high, that no human could hear it. But Arren's angelic-demon ears could hear it, and it was music to him.

Finally, five minutes later, Orochimaru managed to struggle to his feet. "THAT'S IT, YOU BASTARD!" He yelled, in a slightly higher voice. "I'M THROUGH PLAYING WITH YOU!" Suddenly, without warning, his body exploded. And from the shredded remains of Orochimaru's human corpse, rose a mass of writhing bodies. Eight snake like heads shot up from the ground, pushing through all the levels above them. Orochimaru had assumed his ultimate form. A gigantic, Hydra like snake. All the heads glared down at the tiny warrior below them.

"**PREPARE TO DIE!**" The snake roared heads struck at Arren, moving at speeds that no human could hope to follow. But Arren was not human at the moment, and Kitai was not a human weapon. The chain whip lashed forward, severing the two heads. Arren was forced to jump back as the two headless necks hit the ground.

"_**Is that all you got?!**_" Arren yelled challengingly. The hydra like snake merely had two heads rise up, and spew acid from their mouths. Kitai moved in front of Arren, expanding to form a shield. The acid hit it, having no effect. Suddenly a length of Kitai shot out, beheading the acid spewing heads. Arren laughed, as the hydra roared out.

"**HOLD STILL!**" The snake hissed angrily, as three of the remaining heads lunged at Arren. The last head spewed a blob of acid behind Arren, preventing him from escaping. Or so Oorchimaru thought.

"_**Where's the fun in that?**_" Arren taunted, unfazed by the quad attack. He watched the three heads, then jumped back, as they smashed into each other. The acid hit him, but had the same affect as it did on Kitai. None. The chain whip sliced off the three stunned heads.

Orochimaru glared down at Arren. "**WHY WON"T YOU DIE?!**" He hissed angrily, as he rocketed down at Arren. Before he was a quarter of the way there, Arren responded confidently.

"_**Simple reason, really. That's your job.**_" With that, Kitai whipped forward for the fianl time that day. To Orochimaru's delight, his head wasn't severed. HE laughed maniacally as he lunged forward. Arren held up a hand.

"_**Your time is done.**_" He whispered, as he closed the hand. Orochimaru's final head split in tow, and landed on either side of Arren. One on the left, and one on the right. Arren sighed as he dismissed Kitai, his armor, and his power. Smiling, he whispered, "I did it." Then, he suddenly dropped to the ground, as overwhelming pain and exhaustion hit him.

"**KID!**" Haiya yelled, before the biju blacked out. Arren felt his whole body thrum with pain. But only one thing went through his mind. He crawled towards Eflower, and gently grabbed the hand he had held onto before. He smiled, even as he felt his body start to shut down. "Eflower, I'm glad you're safe."

"You! You killed Otokage-sama!" A Oto nin had run into the ruins, and saw Arren take down Orochimaru. Now he drew a kunai. "I'll avenge our fallen leader!"

Suddenly, he was bashed into a wall by Samehada. Kisame smiled, as he held the blade right at the man's throat. "I don't think so." He pulled it across, ripping the skin and part of the man's throat away. He turned back to Arren.

"That gives me 29. I'm winning."

Arren groaned. "I took down Kabuto and Orochimaru. Kabuto is at least wroth twenty, and Orochimaru ranks hundred. Consider yourself thrashed." He said, before passing out. Kisame swore, as he ripped the restraints from Eflower, before looking over Arren's wounds. Suddenly, Naruto, Itachi, and Hinata ran in. Naruto stopped at the sight of the headless eight headed snake.

"Did Arren....?"

"Yeah, he did! Now someone help me!" Kisame yelled. Hinata ran over, and began performing every medical jutsu she knew that could help.

"I can't stabilize!" She yelled. "I can keep him alive till we reach Konoha, but I can't heal him!"

Itachi picked up Eflower, as Naruto bit his thumb. "Do what you can then. We'll get him home, and fast." Naruto said, as he summoned a pair of large dragons. Everyone climbed aboard, and they sped away, leaving the smoking ruin that had been Otogakure no sato.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Tsunade rushed into the emergency operating room. Not an hour ago, Two dragons had landed at the hospital, depositing Team Outcast, Itachi, and Kisame. Almost immediately, she had been summoned, as Arren was listed in extreme critical condition. She found him lying on the operating table, pale as death, and hardly breathing. She looked to the doctor in charge, as others did what they could.

"What's his status?!"

"The arteries leading from his heart were severed! If that wasn't bad enough, he put more stress on himself. His chakra is near zero, and almost all his main bodily functions are shutting down! We've tried to stabilize him, but we're having a tough time doing so with so much damage done to him!"

Tsunade moved next to him, and immediatley began targeting the severed artery, trying to heal it. "All of you, standby to jolt his major organs. We need to fix him, and we need to do it now!"

In another room, Inoichi Yamanaka and Shizune were busy healing Eflower, both physically and mentally. Inoichi sighed as he left her mind.

"I've finished my work in there. She had some type of drug suppressing her consciousness. I was able to awaken her mind, so she should be conscious soon."

Shizune nodded, as she finished repairing the last of the physical damage. "Luckily, most of these wounds were superficial, and her tenant was all ready working on restoring her. She just needs rest, and she'll make a full recovery."

In the lobby, Naruto and Hinata waited. Naruto was up half the time, pacing, while Hinata tried to calm him down. Eventually, she pulled on his arm, forcing him to sit, before climbing into his lap.

"Naruto-kun, everything will be okay. Please, don't worry."

Naruto sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just, Arren is the only blood family I have left in the world. I don't want to lose him."

Hinata kissed him. "You wont. Tsunade-sama will save him."

Link rushed in. "I just heard you guys got back. Where's the others?"

Naruto sighed. "In surgery. Arren got banged up real bad, and Eflower was tortured." Link cursed.

"Did you guys get the bastard who did it?"

Naruto nodded, as he looked back at the doors, and the glaring red light above them.

Elsewhere, Itachi was walking away from the hospital. He had dropped Sasuke's body at the morgue, and requested that no one disturb the body. It had been placed into stasis, to keep it from decaying. Now, Itachi was faced with a dilemma.

_If I take the eyes, I won't have to fear going blind. But what kind of man would do that? Will I disrespect the corpse of my brother, just for myself?_

Suddenly he found two arms around him, waking him from his thoughts. Ayame had found him, and was now hugging him. She buried her head in his chest. "I was so worried. I heard you got back, but were in the hospital. I thought you had been hurt."

Itachi shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I was just leaving Sasuke's body in the morgue." Ayame looked up at him.

"He's dead? Who did it?" When Itachi just kept looking at her, she hugged him tighter. "I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Itachi gently kissed her head. "He would have seen you and everyone else here dead. I did what I had to, for the village."

Ayame nodded. She looked up at his brown-black eyes. "What will you do now? You can stop that problem of yours." Itachi had told Ayame about his problem, of going blind from getting the Mangekyou Sharingan. Itachi looked down.

"Could you respect me, if I desecrated his body like that?"

Ayame lifted his head. "If he had been an honorable man, then no, I couldn't. But he betrayed us all. He acted like a selfish, spoiled brat. Itachi, I'll respect your decision, no matter what."

Itachi sighed, as he lowered his head, and kissed her. As he pulled back, he smiled. "That's one of the many things I love about you." He whispered. He maneuvered her, so she was hanging onto one of his arms. "I'll take care of things tomorrow. For now, let's have some fun." The two walked off.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Quite a while later, deep in the middle of the night, Eflower Angelius slowly awakened. Blinking softly, the outcast angel looked around the place she was laying.

_What is this place? Where am I? _She wondered, as she continued to take in her surroundings.

"**Welcome back to the land of the living.**" Eflower remained mute when Onbin spoke up. "**We're in Konoha hospital. Unfortunately, we have a bit of a problem.**"

_What are you talking about, Onbin?_

"**Arren and Haiya. I can sense their chakra, and their life force's, which is good, since it means their alive. Bad news? Their both faint. Real faint. As in, almost non-existant.**"

Eflower immediately felt her self tearing up. _It's my fauly. If I had been stronger, if I-_

"**SHUT UP!**" Onbin roared, causing the angel to jump. "**I told you, don't listen to a damn word that damn, pedophile, limp limb, gay ass snake said! Now get out of this bed, and go save our dragon!**"

The demoness's words were enough to help Eflower throw off her shock. She slowly sat up, wincing as dull pain shot through her body. She threw it of, just like her shock. Slowly, she pulled the sheet over her off, before setting her feet on the floor. Wincing again, she grabbed a nearby robe, and pulled it on, before slowly setting off. As she walked, her coordination came back, allowing her to speed up, and follow the two chakra signature's. Eventually, she stopped outside the intensive care ward. She silently prayed as she put a hand on the door knob.

_Arren. Please be okay._ She opened the door.

Tsunade had been sitting next to Arren, watching him. He was hooked up to so many machines, he might as well been a cyborg. She sighed as she looked through various books and scrolls.

_There's got to be a way to heal him._ All the surgery he had undergone so far had been able to stabilize, but no matter what they tried, his body had gotten to a point where it was next to impossible to heal him. Many doctors said he was crippled for life, and probably wouldn't be able to leave the hospital ever again. But Tsunade refused to give up.

She looked up in surprise, as the door opened. Eflower came in, stopping at the sight of Arren. Her eyes swiftly filled with tears, before she turned to Tsunade. "How bad is he?"

"Eflower, we need to get you back to bed. You need to-."

"How bad is he?!" She said firmly, but with a passion unlike her. Tsunade was taken aback by it, since Eflower was usually calm, and quiet. It took her only a minute to make up her mind.

"He's stabilized, but so far, there's nothing more we can do. He may be crippled for life, and if not, it could be months before he's even conscious again." The head medic informed Eflower. She watched as the angel jinchuuriki slowly walked over to Arren. Gently, she ran a hand over his face, feeling the clod embrace that had wrapped around his skin.

"There's always something that can be done. Arren taught me that himself. And as an angel, there's a lot more that I can do, then you could hope to achieve." With that, Eflower closed her eyes.

Frowning, Tsunade moved next to her. "What do you me-?" She jumped back as two brown wings ripped from the back of Eflower's robe. Eflower's eyes opened, but now, they were glowing white. She held out her hands, which began to glow with the same white energy in her eyes. Then she placed them on Arren, and the energy spread across his body. Suddenly, several of the machine's began beeping faster, as the color returned to Arren's face. His breathing picked up, and so did all of his vitals. The white energy slowly faded from Eflower, and she began to sway. Tsunade managed to catch her as she fell back.

The angel gave her a weak smile. "I'll explain later. Please, for now, sit me beside him." Again, it only took Tsunade a split second to decide. She placed Eflower in a chair next to Arren's bed, where the angel retracted her wings. Tsunade began to remove some of the now unnecessary equipment from Arren. When she turned back around to speak to the angel, she found Eflower was all ready asleep. Tsunade sighed, as she left the room. She pinched the bridge of her noise, before calling on one of the ANBU that always watched her from the shadows.

"Bring Naruto Namikaze here. I need to talk with him." The ANBU nodded, and disappeared. A few minute's later, he re appeared, with Naruto in tow.

"What is it baa-chan? Is Arren okay?"

"Yes, he's fine. Actually, he's a lot better, thanks to Eflower. But that leads me to a question I need to ask you." She signaled the ANBU to leave, before turning back to him.

"When were you going to tell me Eflower was an angel?"

Naruto's eyes widened, before settling back into a normal look. "It wasn't my secret to share. But since you've found out, I'll tell you this much. She is an angel, an outcast angel. She doesn't mean anyone harm, unless they want to harm Arren. Anything else, you'll have to ask them."

"Why wasn't I told from the beginning? This is information I need as Hokage."

"And have the council all over her, trying to turn her into a breeder for dozens of angel warrior and medics? I don't think so. Tsunade, I'm sorry, but they are all I really have as a family. My cousin, and the woman he loves. They didn't wan't it know she was an angel. Now you do know, so you can ask her when she wakes up. But please, I'm not going to spill anything without their permission."

Tsunade sighed. "Fine, fine. But is there anything else major I should know?"

Naruto shrugged. "Besides Arren being part angel as well? Nope. Just please, don't tell anyone unless they say it's okay."

Tsunade nodded. "All right. Well, as I said, Eflower healed Arren up. You'll be able to see tomorrow. For now, get home, and get some rest."

Naruto nodded, and turned to leave, passing by Shizune, who held a report in her hands.

"Tsunade-same, we received another report. Iwa shinobi crossed the border, and are busy continually asking about this 'Nexus's."

Naruto didn't pay it any mind, but in him, Daini stiffened. "**The Nexus? They can't be looking for that, can they?**"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Iwa, Ganondorf smirked as he killed the last member of one of Iwa's elite squads of jounin. He had lured the four ninja's to a secret location, and then killed them off quickly. He had a better purpose for them than being part of the shinobi force.

He quickly began muttering a spell, causing dark energy to seep out of him, and into the four bodies. Each of them opened their eyes, as their wounds healed. But their eyes had now become golden, before fading back to their original colors. They all stood up, and bowed to Ganondorf. He smiled.

"You four are now my elite warriors. You have been given new bodies, with new powers. Use them carefully. Now go, and help these fools find the Nexus."

The four bodies nodded, before disappearing. Ganondorf smirked as he headed back to the Tscuhikage's office. As he sat back down, his receptionist gave him several reports.

"The organization known as Akatsuki sent a letter. They wish to talk about a possible alliance against Konoha."

Ganondorf scoffed. "We have no need for them. When we have the Nexus, their power will pale in comparison to ours. Sned the letter back, with our response."

The receptionist nodded, and left. Ganondorf mused over everything that was happening.

_This Akatsuki organization could be a problem. Perhaps they should be disposed of. But I don't want to lose any of my forces. Perhaps this 'Konoha' could benefit from our knowledge._

Ganondorf created a shadowy creature, which looked like a skeletal hawk, before it turned into a messenger hawk.

"Go to Konoha, and deliver this message. Akatsuki plans to ally with Iwa to attack Konoha. The remaining four members will be gathered in Amegakure no sato three weeks from now."

The hawk nodded, before leaving. Ganondorf smiled. _By weakening these two groups, I'll have less to worry about in the future._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Ame, Pein stood with the member Tobi. Except Tobi was standing there, listening to Pein's report.

"The Kyuubi jinchuuriki caught me off guard. I underestimated his power, and he was able to catch me. If he hadn't have been so foolish, he could have killed me."

"Yes. This complicates things a bit. Perhaps I should deal with catching Kyuubi. My Sharingan would do a much better job in subduing the biju's power."

"Yes. That would be for the best, Madara-sama." Pein left, as Madara Uchiha, the co-founder of Konoha, mulled over these new developments.

_If Iwa sides with us, we'll have more than enough manpower to take on Konoha. Both Kumo and Suna wouldn't be able to stop us. Then we strike each of them, gaining their jinchuuriki's. _

Madara nodded, before adopting the farce of "Tobi" again. "Tobi is very happy right now."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_Two days later_

_Am I alive, or dead? _Arren wondered, as he slowly regained his consciousness. _Well, considering the fact that my entire body aches like hell, I'm probably somewhere in between, Until I open my eyes, and get assaulted by light. _And with a groan, Arren did what he just thought about, only to snap his eyes shut at the harsh light flooding into them._ I knew that was going to happen. Why on earth is light so harsh?_

"**Hey, natural light isn't that bad.**" Haiya argued softly. "**Anyways, how you feeling kid?**"

_Didn't you hear the 'my body aches like hell' comment?_

"**Apart form that, I mean.**"

_Oh, I'm completely fine._ Arren said, somewhat sarcastically, as his eyes still hurt from opening them to harsh light. After that, he opened them again, this time slowly. His eyes adjusted better. _That's more like it._ Arren slowly looked around. He found himself in what had to be a hospital room, as it was a light color, aesthetic, and full of tacky furniture. Arren felt a slight shifting on the bed, and he looked down. Eflower was asleep, laying her head on his chest. She was sitting in a chair that had been pulled right next to his bed. Softly, he smiled, glad with all his heart that she was safe. With a sigh, he lowered his head to the pillow, intending to rest. But his plan was ruined when an arm snaked around his neck, and someone softly kissing his cheek.

"How you feeling?" Eflower softly whispered into his ear. Smiling Arren opened his eyes, and looked at her.

"Sore. How about you?"

"Happy you're awake. But do you have any idea how worried I was for you?" Eflower's face became hurt as she said the last sentence. Smiling sadly, Arren softly kissed her, before replying.

"I have plenty of ideas, but I won't ever know how you felt. And I don't plan to put you into a situation like that ever again." Eflower smiled, as she kissed her Pikku warrior. Their kiss became more passionate, and longer than the previous. When they finished, Eflower sat up in her chair, while Arren sat further up in bed.

"So tell me, what did I miss?"

"The Hokage knows."

"Huh?" He asked, confused. An eyebrow raising up completed his confused face.

"She knows. That I'm an angel, and that you're part of one. I explained everything too her, after I healed you, and she saw my angel abilities."

Arren sighed. "Well, as long as they don't try anything funny, I don't mind. Do you?"

Eflower shook her head. "No. Especially since she promised not to tell anyone else, unless absolutely necessary."

Arren smiled. "So, how long have I been out?"

"Three, almost four days. I can go get you some food, if you want."

"No need." Came a voice from the doorway. They both turned to see Naruto, Hinata, and link standing there, each carrying a tray of food. Not the hospital kind, but real food. Arren smiled, as Naruto placed his tray down. "Hey cuz. How did the mission go?"

"Well, you took down Kabuto and Orochimaru, as well as most of Oto. Meanwhile, me and Itachi took care of Sasuke. It was mostly Itachi though."

Arren nodded. "So, do you think we get to relax for a bit now?"

As the five of them started eating, Naruto shrugged. "I hope so. Between rescuing Gaara, fighting Pein, and taking down Oto, I think we've earned a little rest."

Little did our hero's realize that their greatest adventure's still lay ahead.

* * *

**AP: My hand's hurt from all the editing.**

**LR: How? You took three day's of editing? How can your hands hurt.**

**AP: I rewrote the entire battle.**

**LR: Well, it is better. I have to admit, Arren is certainly not someone to piss off.**

**Naruto: That armor he had was cool. How come I don't have anything like that?**

**Link: Because you don't need it**.

**AP: Oh, that's not why. Arren can fight just as well with out it. The reason he has it is because he is a defense specialist.**

**Arren: Even if I'm always on the offensive.**

**Arashen: What about in this fight, huh? You were stuck on the defensive, until Snake-teme pissed you off!**

**RS: LR has some cool armor too.**

**Link: Really?**

**LR: Yeah. It's something for Arashen and Naruto though. I'm thinking about revealing it in the next major fight chapter.**

**Naruto: SWEET!**

**LR: Don't get cocky. It's not exactly all sugar and rainbows. This technique** **could push you to the edge.**

**Naruto: I'm game.**

**AP: Care to let your beta in on it?**

**LR: Nope. It's a surprise for you as well. **

**AP: You're evil....**

**Please review.** **Sorry for the wait, but as Allan said, he decided to go back, and rewrite the fight scene, as well as the part with Eflower and Arren in the hospital**. **Hope you all like. **


	19. Complications

**Sorry everyone, but no humor today. I'm pissed. And the reason why? An anonymous** **reviewer who calls himself Cody.**

**Cody, if you're reading, then listen up. I admit that I sometimes miss words that are misspelled, and** **that my grammar is not perfect. BUT YOU NEED TO LEARN THE SAME!**

**The word you is not spelled "u". You're not texting someone** **on your cell phone, you're reviewing a story. SO MAKE SURE AND USE PROPER SPELLING WHEN YOU REVIEW!**

**Secondly, remember to capitalize at the beginning of a sentence. Otherwise, don't go complaining to me about spelling and grammar.**

**Third, you don't know jack about Greek or Persian history. If you did, then you would know it's Xerxes. I've read history books, I asked my parents, and I checked the movie itself. It's Xerxes. So next time, make sure you have your facts straight, before you start telling people off.**

**I'm sorry** **if this has offended you, but seriously, you barge on, give me half crapped reviews** **about how everyone's spelling and grammar is bad, and that 'this shouldn't happen', and that I misspelled something I'm well versed in.** **Stop being a hypocrite, and make sure you have your spelling and facts straight first. And this is fanfiction! I could make Naruto dance the CHA-CHA wearing a clown suit if I wanted to, so if Jiraiya faint's seeing Naruto and Arren kick butt, big deal.**

**Now that I have that out of my system, I have a message for everyone. Inferno Ryuu, one of my readers/reviewers, has set up a forum about OC's. If you have one, you might want to check it out. **

**Also, soundless steps has an OC for anyone who is interested, and if you are, be sure to PM him.**

**Anyways, sorry in not having any humor today. I just didn't feel like it.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Zelda, or the major OC's.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

**Complications**

Two weeks had passed since the rescue of Eflower and Hinata, and the death of Sasuke and Orochimaru. Arren had gained quite the reputation as the destroyer of the Snake Sannin, and the bingo books of several of Konoha's enemies now listed him as an S-ranked ninja with avoid if possible status. Naruto had mocked pouted at this, until Hinata had pointed out that Iwa had him as an SS-ranked enemy, with flee on sight, do to him being the son of Minato Namikaze, and also having master the Hiraishin. At seeing this, Naruto had cheered up, as he had obtained the same status as his father had before becoming Hokage.

Our hero's had gathered together in one of Konoha's many training fields. Arren, having finally been released from the hospital, was now sparring with Naruto, to help loosen up his was busy going over a lightning jutsu, since Arren had told her she had lightning as a secondary affinity. Naruto had told her this was an advantage to her, as her lightning jutsu's could back up her water jutsu's by taking down earth attacks. Also, she could set up combo's with the two of them, for devastating effect.

Nearby, Link was busy sparing in sword to sword combat with Eflower. A week earlier, she had been released from the hospital. As soon as she had, she had gone to Link, Naruto, Tenten, and any other ninja's skilled in kenjutsu to spar with her. And now that Arren was out, she planned to spar with him whenever she could.

Link was forced to duck under a thrust at his head, before dodging back from a sweeping kick. He panted slighlty, watching the determined look on Eflower's face, who had retaken her stance, even though she was panting and sweating hard. She had been training hard for a few hours even before Team Outcast's training session. Yet she refused to give up.

Arren and Naruto stopped to watch Eflower launch another assault on Link. Naruto nodded.

"She's really pushing herself."

"Yeah. Orochimaru struck a hidden nerve, and now, she refuses to always hang back in fights. She wants to be strong, even though me and Onbin already told her that she is."

Naruto smiled. "She wants to protect those precious too her. A strength that people like Sasuke, and Orochimaru would never understand. Anyways, how are you doing?"

Arren smiled as he stretched a few of his muscles. "Better. Being cooped up in the hospital is not something I enjoy."

Naruto nodded in understanding, before his face became serious. "Arren, there's something I want to talk to you and Eflower about. Eflower! Come here for a second!"

Eflower nodded, and made her way over, trying her best to hide her exhaustion. When she reached them, Arren pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. Ever since he had learned the full extent of Eflower's torture, and when she healed him back up from death's door, he used every moment he could to cheer her up, and show her how much he cared for her. Eflower smiled up at him, before the two turned to Naruto. The blond jinchuuriki had pulled out a scroll, and opened it.

"I was going through some of the scrolls in my dad's library, and I found this. It's similar to what me and Jiraiya did to my seal for Daini. With it, if you guys and Haiya and Onbin wanted to, I could modify your seals, and allow them the same freedom Daini has now."

Eflower's surprise was evident, while Arren raised an eyebrow. He wasn't the type of person to usually be taken by surprise.. "You mean, they could leave the seal, and hang out with us?"

Daini, who appeared, nodded. "Yeah. We figured it would be nice for them to get out, stretch their limbs. What do you guys think?"

Arren and Eflower looked at each other, then took on blank expressions as they communicated with their tenants. After a few moments, they came back to reality, and nodded. Naruto looked back at the scroll. "We'll probably need ero-sennin to be on the safe side. Soon as I seem him, we'll set something up."

As they nodded, Hinata came over, having finished studying hr scroll. "Naruto-kun? I think I've got the idea of the jutsu down." As Naruto turned, Hinata ran through the hand signs, and her right hand became covered in lightning. Naruto created a clone, and Hinata struck it, causing said clone to jitter as he was electrocuted, before poofing out of existence. Naruto nodded.

"Nice. You still need to add a little more power to it, but that will just come with practice and training." Hinata smiled as she nodded.

Naruto looked up at the sky, and saw the position of the sun. "All right. That's enough for today. Let's get something to eat."

They all nodded, as they gathered scattered cats, weapons, and a few of Link's weapons that he had practiced with, along with a couple new ones. Link now carried a long, curved bladed spear, which somehow fit into his magic storage pouch, and a couple of axes.

(A/N: Anyone noticed Link never get's an ax or spear? Ever! He get's a hammer, a morning star (the ball and chain) a bow, bombs, but never an ax or spear)

As they left the training field, Daini stopped Naruto for a second. The others looked back, curious about what the demoness wanted to tell Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, something has been bugging me. You remember when Tsunade-sama got that report, concerning Iwa shinobi looking for a 'Nexus'?"

Naruto nodded, as Daini continued. "Well, I need to talk to her about it. If they were talking about what I think they are talking about, things might get complicated."

Naruto nodded. "Right after lunch." Daini nodded, before switching subjects.

"So, if we can pull off modifying the seals on Eflower and Arren, do you think we should talk to the others?"

"You mean jinchuuriki's?" As Daini nodded, Naruto shrugged. "Well, I was going to go to Gaara, and talk about modifying his seal. From what I've understood from you, Shukaku has probably been driven mad by the half crapped seal used on him. I was going to fix it up, so we could talk to him about fixing it to let Shukaku out every now and then."

Daini nodded, a smile on her face, and a slight blush on her cheeks, which didn't escape Naruto's notice. He grinned at her.

"Maybe Shukaku would want to thank his Daini-chan." He teased. Daini smacked him on the arm, as everyone else laughed. NAruto just rubbed his arm, the grin still evident on his face, as they headed to Ichiraku ramen, which had expanded now that Eflower, Arren, Link, Naruto, and Itachi were all constant customers. Speaking of the _now _last Uchiha, Itachi had decided to take his brother's eyes, and use them to complete his Mangekyou Sharingan, thus preventing his blindness from it. He had vowed, however, that no other Uchiha would ever awaken the Mangekyou. He destroyed any and all copies of information on it, and the remaining information was kept locked away where it couldn't be found.

As the group approached Ichiraku, a member of the Branch family of the Hyuuga clan stopped them, before turning to Hinata.

"Hinata-sama, you have been requested for an urgent meeting of the Hyuuga Elders." Hinata nodded, and turned to her friends, and boyfriend.

"I'll see you all later." She kissed Naruto, before leaving. Naruto smiled, as he sat down, followed by the others. Ayame smiled at the happy look on Naruto's face.

"Looks like a good day for everyone." Ayame said, as she and her father began preparing everyone's orders. Link looked up, slightly curious.

"What do you mean?" He asked, only to see Ayame's smile widen, and Teuchi trying to hide a very proud grin. Ayame slowly held up a hand, on which sparkled an engagement ring. Eflower gasped, while Daini squealed in delight. The two of them immediately bombarded Ayame with questions, while the guys just sat there. Finally, Naruto shook himself of his shock.

"Itachi proposed?!" He asked. Ayame nodded happily, as she gently ran a finger across the diamond in the ring. "When?"

"This morning." A voice from the back answered, and Itachi came out from the back, wearing a white apron, and a few spots of flour on his cheeks. At that moment, Naruto, and Link burst out laughing, while Arren just managed to choke down his laughter. A deep laugh joined in with Naruto's and Link's, as Kisame joined them.

"Two things I never expected to see. The infamous Itachi covered in flower, with an apron, and Itachi settling down with a girl." Kisame said, shaking in mirth. After the announcement, Itachi and Kisame were able to walk around Konoha as themselves, and while a few people still glared at them, most just ignored them. Kisame smiled, as Itachi grumbled. Naruto merely shook his head with a grin, before digging into the first of his many bowls. But as he looked at the ring on Ayame's finger, it got his own thoughts going.

_Me and Hinata were promised to each other before birth. I know I said I was happy with the engagement, but I really want to prove it to her._ He looked up at Itachi, who was busy carrying out a few sacks of flour from the back.

"Hey, Itachi? Can I ask you something?" As Itachi turned around, Naruto gestured to the ring. "Where did you get that?"

Itachi smiled, knowing what Naruto was up to. "There are a few good jewelry stores around Konoha. The most prestigious is over towards the clan districts, since they can pay the most. The best, though, is actually over here in the commercial district, as they do custom orders, no matter what they may be. It should be easy to spot."

Naruto nodded, and went back to his ramen, while Itachi grinned at Kisame. "So, when are you settling down? Any girls caught your eye yet?"

Kisame, caught off guard, was a little hesitant. "Well.... you see...... I guess you could say-." Suddenly, a kunai knife whipped past his head, cutting his cheek, and imbedding itself in the roof beam of the stand. Anko suddenly was right next to Kisame, licking the blood from his wound.

"I think I'm starting to like sushi as much as dango." She said to him, before pulling her kunai out, and smiling at the others. Everyone looked at them, until Arren broke the silence.

"Somehow, it just makes sense for you two to be together." Everyone began nodding, as Anko smiled, while Kisame grinned nervously. Anko turned to her blue skinned boyfriend, her smile wide and mischievous.

"So, you were going to share a few torture techniques from Kiri with me and Ibiki?" Kisame nodded, as he was dragged away. Naruto chuckled.

"I hope he knows what he got himself into."

"I could say the same for Anko-san." Itachi commented.

Everyone nodded or shrugged, as they finished up their meals. When they had, they said bye to the happy couple, and went about their separate ways. Link had been offered to join Team Gai in a training session, which he had accepted for three reasons. One, he could spar with Tenten, who he had a good friendship with, since both were weapon masters. Two, he liked training himself with Lee and Gai, since both pushed themselves. And three, they kept Ino away, who still hadn't given up trying to get a date with him.

Arren and Eflower went off to relax in the co-ed section of the hot springs, only to hear the yell of "PERVERT!", followed by seeing a certain Toad sage being sent flying through the air.

Naruto, with Daini, headed off to find a certain shop in the commercial district.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Two Iwa jounin landed on a tree with in the border of the Land of the Fire. But unlike normal jounin, they weren't communicating, or looking around. The two look at each other, only for their eye's to flash gold. Then they proceed onward, unaware of a four man team of Konoha ANBU that follows them.

The two Iwa jounin land on the ground, momentarily getting their bearings, when their surrounded by the ANBU. The leader, wearing a eagle mask, steps forward.

"You're trespassing on our territory. Return home, or prepare to fight."

The two jounin looked at each other, before suddenly launching themselves at the ANBU. The eagle ANBU suddenly found himself clutching his throat, with a kunai in it, while another stared dumbly at the dark energy that formed a blade through his chest. As the two slumped to the ground, the other two ANBU attacked, only to hit nothing but air. The two jounin begin glowing with dark energy, before their forms begin to change, and the area became shrouded in darkness. Two screams of fear and agony echoed from the shrouded area, then all was silent. The two jounin leaf the darkness, completely normal again, and head off, leaving four corpses, two of which are badly mangled, and almost unrecognizable.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Ame, Pein snorted in disgust as he read the message sent back to him by Iwa. Konan, and "Tobi" were present, while Zetsu was in his astral form. The three of them looked at Pein, as he lowered the letter.

"Iwa refused our alliance. This is an unfortunate setback. Without them, it will be that much harder to obtain the four remaining biju's. Zetsu, return to Ame as planned. We may need to call upon Ame's shinobi to help us, and we'll need the combined might of Akatsuki in any attack we launch."

"Yes, Pein-sama." Then, in a slightly different voice, Zetsu responds again.

"_Yeah whatever._" The astral projection disappears, as Pein sighs.

"Why did Iwa refuse out offer of alliance? It makes no sense."

"Tobi never trusted Iwa. They were mean to Tobi once." Tobi offered, only to have Konan glare at him.

"Shut up! You're the most annoying person I've ever had the misfortune to know!" As she reared back to slap him, only to have 'Tobi' grab her hand, and a Sharingan eye glare from the hole in the mask.

"I don't like your tone, Konan-san." Madara said in his real voice, before dropping her hand. He looks back at Pein. "We'll have to move fast. We don't have much time until Konan finds us, and attacks."

Pein nodded, before moving to Konan, and saying. "Do not fear. Madara-sama wishes to help us in our quest. He is the one who gave us the knowledge to bring peace."

Konan was barely reassured by his words, as she glanced fearfully at Madara, before leaving. Madara snickered as he turned back to Pein. "She at least knows when she is beat. Go, and gather Ame's shinobi together. We will attack as soon as Zetsu returns. One week from tomorrow."

Pein bowed, and left, while Madara smirked as he went and sat on the chair usually occupied by Pein. "Things will go as I plan. One way or another."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ganondorf, for the thousandth time, cursed in his head. No matter how hard he tried, this infernal paperwork kept coming. He wished that he could simply blast it all into another realm. Still, at least he didn't have to worry about upstart hero's foiling his plans.

His only concern was this "Naruto Namikaze" that Iwa spies had told him about. He had looked into the report on this boy, and the information on Naruto's father, Minato.

_They both are incredibly strong. His father could obliterate an entire army in one move. And Naruto is becoming worse, if possible. He could be a problem, like the bothersome youth, Link. At least he does not wield the Master Sword. That is the only weapon I must truly fear._ Ganondorf smirked, as he sat back.

_When the Nexus is mine, I will take over the Sacred Realm, gain the true power of the Triforce. After I conquer Hyrule, I'll come back to this pitiful land, and conquer it as well._

There was a knock on the door, and Ganondorf straightened up, assuming his role as the Tscuhikage. "What is it?"

"Tscuhkage-sama, some of our spies have reported finding a new person associated with Namikaze. Here is the report."

The secretary placed a paper on Ganondorf's desk. He looked it over, only to shoot up in surprise, and anger.

"I want all efforts to find the Nexus doubled! I want a team of our best assassins readied, and prepared to sent after this 'Link'! NOW!" The secretary was startled, but bowed her head, and left. Ganondorf cursed under his breath.

"I should have known. The goddesses sent their hero to take me down. I will not be stopped. Not by them, not by Link, or anyone else!" He yelled, as he slammed his fist on his desk.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Hinata sighed as she approached the council room of the Hyuuga estate. She had changed into a formal kimono, after showering from her training session. She came to the door, and waited for the branch member outside of it to announce her. Then she entered, bowed to the elders, and her father, before taking her place, kneeling in front of them. One of the elders stood up.

"Hiashi-sama, I'm afraid we have a somewhat grave matter to discuss. The elders were not informed about the engagement contract of Hinata, your daughter, to Naruto Namikaze."

Hiashi shrugged. "It does not matter, does it? The elders were not needed for it, and I thought that having her married to the son of one of our most powerful Hokage's, and beloved hero's would bring the clan honor."

"This was a matter of the Hyuuga clan, as it affects the heiress of our clan. We should have been informed. Therefore, we have taken steps to rectify the problem."

Hiashi stiffened, while Hinata felt a small bit of fear touch her heart. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that because we were not informed of said contract, we have instituted by-law 17. We have revoked the marriage contract, and now we are the only ones who can select a husband for Hinata."

Hinata felt her heart plummet, and Hiashi stood in anger. "This is my daughter! That contract was all ready made, and signed, and both parties have agreed to it!"

The Hyuuga elders were not moved. "There are many more suitors who are better than Namikaze."

"Even though he is the last, and therefore head of his clan? Even though Namikaze is the most prestigious, and powerful clan of Konoha? Even though he is almost certain to become the Rokudaime Hokage? Who could be better for the heiress of our clan to wed?"

"Someone not tainted by demon kind." One said simply. It was in that moment, that the truth came out. Hinata, in tears, lowered her head.

"It comes back to Daini-chan, does it?" She asked. "She apologized for what she did, and Naruto-kun even told me that after she became good, she begged him to kill her for her actions. She is no more a demon than I am."

"Be quiet, you. Hiashi-sama, we all ready have chosen a suitor for her, and he is traveling here. He should arrive in three day's time. He is the son of the daimyo from Tea country, and this marriage will help further ties to that country."

Hinata dropped her head in despair. Suddenly, her father's voice rang out. "By-law 17 has one stipulation though. It allows the suitor of the previous engagement to fight the new suitor. If Naruto-sama so chooses, he may fight your suitor."

The elders glared at Hiashi. "Why are you making this difficult? We are only doing what is best for the clan, and for Konoha."

"I am a clan head, as well as a shinobi of Konoha. But I am also a father. And this marriage to Naruto is what makes my daughter happy. It will strength the clan, and aid the village. Yet all you can think about is Kyuubi. You all sicken me." Hiashi went to his daughter, and helped her to her feet. Her eyes glistened with hope, as she looked up at him. He smiled at her, and gently guided her to the door. "Go, and tell Naruto what has happened. I'm sure he will want to get ready."

Hinata suddenly hugged him, whispering, "Thank you otou." Then she left. Hiashi turned to the seething Elders.

"See you all in three days." Then he turned and left.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto had purchased what he was looking for, and tucked it safely into one of the pockets of his coat. Now, he and Daini headed to the Hokage Tower, to talk about this "Nexus".

They made their way up the tower, and into Tsunade's office. Currently, it looked like she was going over a document held in front of her face. But both Naruto and Daini's enhanced senses could smell sake in the air, and hear a slight slipping noise. Naruto smiled, as he came over, and removed the fake arms holding the document up.

"Hey baa-chan." He said simply. Tsunade choked in surprise, almost spraying sake across her desk, and onto Naruto. She glared up at him.

"I hate it when you do that." She gasped. Naruto just smirked, as he and Daini sat down. Tsunade sighed, before looking over the two of them.

"So, what brings you here?"

Naruto sighed. "Two things. One, where's Jiraiya? Me, Arren, and Eflower need him."

Tsunade smirked, remembering smacking the pervert into next century half an hour ago. "He may be.... 'indisposed' for a bit. I'll tell him to find you when I see him."

Naruto nodded, then moved forward. "Okay. Number two is something Daini nee-chan wanted to talk to you about."

Daini nodded, as she scooted closer. "It's about that report you received, in the hospital, two weeks ago. The one about Iwa?"

Tsunade nodded. "Right. The one about them looking for some 'Nexus'. What about it?"

Daini glanced around. "Well, I know about _a_ Nexus. And if it's the one their looking for, things may have gotten very complicated."

Tsunade became serious. "Go on."

"The Nexus I know about is a portal of sorts. As it turns out, there are many different realms and realities. And in each one, there is a connection to all of the others called the Nexus. It's a doorway to these other places. From what I understand, it was created thousands of years ago by a powerful sorcerer in one of the other realms. He used to travel all over, and gain new knowledge and abilities. Sadly though, others sought to use the Nexus for their own greed. Many of the doorways have been closed, or destroyed, but there are several that still exist. Apparently, one connects our realm to that of Hyrule, which explains how Link got it. The deities in his universe used the Nexus to transport him here. It's also how he can get back home, when he has done whatever it is he is doing here."

Tsunade nodded, while Naruto piped up. "But how does this make things bad for us, if Iwa controls it?"

"Think about, otouto. If they can control this Nexus, and then use it to travel to another realm, they could gain new weapons, new powers, or even new allies."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "So, what do we do, and how do you know about this?"

Daini shrugged. "I don't know, other than keeping a close tab on Iwa. As for how I know, I stumbled across the Nexus, and the old sorcerer who created it. He sought to destroy me and protect the Nexus, and I killed him. Something I regret now, but I was more bloodthirsty back then, remember? When I killed him, he transferred his knowledge to me, so I know about the Nexus."

Tsunade's eyes widened in realization. "So you know where it is."

Daini nodded. "I do. It should be hard for Iwa to find, but still, we shouldn't take any chances. I would suggest dispatching a team of ANBU to this area, and tell them to report back if they find any Iwa shinobi in the area."

Daini pointed to a location on a map of the Elemental Nations. Both Tsunade and Naruto were surprised.

"Wave? The Nexus is in Wave?"

Daini nodded. "Not to far from the bridge otouto and his old team nearly died protecting."

Tsunade nodded. "Well, this certainly clears things up. Thank you both. I'll get right on it." Naruto and Daini nodded, and left. Daini returned to the seal, and Naruto exited the Tower, only to find Hinata running straight to him, her face covered in tear streaks. Naruto immediately rushed up to her, and grabbed her close to him.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"The elders..... the Hyuuga elders. They tried to revoke our engagement." She gasped out. Naruto was stunned.

"What?"

"They used a by-law. It allows them to revoke any marriage contract they don't believe benefits the clan, and come up with a new one that will."

"No. I'll fight this. I'll fight for you." He said, determination etched in his voice. Hinata nodded against his chest.

"That's why I came looking for you. The by-law states that you can fight the other suitor for me. If you win, then they can't stop the marriage."

Naruto glanced down at her. "Then I'll fight whoever this is, and win your freedom, once and for all. Who is it?"

"It's the son of the daimyo of the Land of Tea."

Naruto's eyes widened for a second. "Katai Sendo?"

"You've heard of him?" She looked up at him. Naruto nodded.

"He's a skilled swordsman, one of the best in his land. He's actually led his father's soldiers against bandits and invading warriors."

Hinata's face became worried, but Naruto smiled at her. "Don't worry. He may be good, but I have a few advantages of my own. I'm faster, more agile, stronger too. I'm trained in the Uzumaki style of swordsmanship, as well as my own style. And, I have something worth fighting for."

Hinata smiled up at him, and hugged him close. "Just be careful."

Naruto nodded. "I will. Now, when can I fight him?"

"He arrives in three days." Naruto nodded.

"Then let's go round up the others. I've got three days to sharpen my skills."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

For the next three days, Naruto spent every drop of energy he had on training. He sparred with anyone who would spar with him, even Lee. He spent plenty of time strengthening his skills with his blades, fighting Arren, Link, Eflower, Tenten, and every ANBU skilled with a blade.

Finally, the day had arrived. At the gate, eleven people entered Konoha. Ten of them were covered in the armor of the personal samurai guards to the Tea Countries Daimyo. Leading them was a well built man in a suit of more personalized armor, which bore the crest of the daimyo's family on it. At his side was a beautifully crafted katana, with a matching wakizashi. His helmet, with two horns on it, hung on his back, revealing long black hair, matched with black eyes and beard.

Tsunade and several of her ANBU greeted Katai Sendo, and his escort. Tsunade returned the bow she received from the young man.

"Hokage-sama, I'm honored that you yourself have greeted me."

"It is an honor to meet a legendary warrior such as yourself. Please, we will escort you to the Huuga estate."

As they walked, Tsunade glanced at the young warrior. "I'm afraid that a complication has arisen."

"Really? What would that be?"

"Well, Hinata Hyuuga was originally engaged to a ninja of this village. The by-law used to negate said engagement has a little more to it. It allows the former suitor to challenge the new one to a fight for the Hyuuga heir or heiress in question. The ninja, Naruto Namikaze, has decided to fight for his right to marry Hinata."

Katai nodded. "Very well. I've heard rumors that this Naruto has skills with a blade. It will be interesting to see if they are true."

They eventually made it to the Hyuuga estate, and entered. They were led by a branch member to a training courtyard, where Hiashi, Hinata, and the Hyuuga elders were present. They all bowed to Katai and Tsunade, who both returned the bows. Katai glanced around.

"So where is my opponent? I was told that I have competition for the fair maiden's hand."

"Right here." Everyone turned to see Naruto standing at the entrance, with three unconscious Hyuuga shinobi being carried by his clones. All three were Main Branch.

"These three tried to stop me from arriving, and cripple me. Luckily, they won't have anything more than headaches when they wake up." He said, as the clones carried the three ninjas' over to some waiting branch members. Tsunade, HIashi, and even Hinata sent glares at the Elders. Katai nodded.

"So, you are Naruto Namikaze, the son of Minato Namikaze?"

"I am. And you're Katai Sendo, the Senkou Ken (Flash Blade) of Tea Country. It is an honor to meet a swordsman of your caliber."

"Indeed. Shall we get started?"

Naruto nodded, as he removed his coat, and the bandages from around his left forearm. Everyone cleared the courtyard, as the two men faced each other. Katai drew his katana, and adopted a ready position. Naruto merely placed his left hand on the hilt of Uzu Izou.

"To make this fair, I promise to use no Nin or genjutsu against you. It will be my taijutsu, and sword skills, against yours. Agreed?"

Katai nodded. "Agreed. I'm looking forward to fighting you."

Naruto nodded, as he drew his Izou from it's sheathe. "As am I."

At the side lines, Hinata had her hands clutched together. _Please, Naruto-kun, be safe._

For several seconds, no one move, as the wind blew through the courtyard, disturbing some of the dust. Then, both combatants charged at each other. Their blades flashed, before impacting against the other.

* * *

**This chapter is probably shorter than** **others, but after the last chapter I gave you all, and the amount I want to put into this fight, I think it would be better to end here. Anyways, as I mentioned above, Inferno Ryuu has a forum involving OC's, so if you have one, check it out. And soundless steps has an OC up for anyone who maybe interested in using him. If you are, PM him, and ask about it.**

**I promise to try and do something funny next chapter, and sorry if any of you were disappointed on this one.** **This Is LR saying "till next time."**

**AP: See you later guys!**

**Please review.**


	20. Moving Out

**I promised funny, and you all will get it. But first two things.**

**Besides Cody, I've got another baka on, who has pissed me off. This guy went by Anonymous, and now calls himself** **Reviewer, at least I'm pretty sure they're the same guy.** **Now, in the past I ignored this guy, but third time is always the charm. If you're reading, then listen up. If you say I stink, I don't care. If you say I have no originality,**_** I don't care**_. **I'm on this site not to be the best writer there is. I'm on this site because I'm having a fun time writing. And if people like you don't like my story, then here's a nice big idea. DON'T READ IT! Now normally, I've ignored this guy. But three times now, he's done something that pisses me off to no end. He has insulted all of you, the people who read my fanfics. So Reviewer, or Anonymous, or whatever you call yourself. Back off from my readers. You can say I'm the worst writer ever. But STOP INSULTING OTHERS! Some of my readers have incredible stories of their own, and they seem to know a heck of a lot more about writing than you do. So unless you're some world class author, just back off.**

**Now, better news. soundless steps has a pretty good story, which I'm looking into right now, called "Most Powerful Due: Ultimate Shinobi. It feels a little slow at first to me, but it does seem to be a good story. So if you can, please check it out. Now, what else is there.**

**Naruto (trying to disguise his voice): How about that armor you've got for Naruto?**

**RS: Yeah!**

**LR: No chance. You all have to wait till the chapter I unveil it.**

**Naruto: Awww man.**

**Arashen: Well, LR actually used it in one of these beginning bits. You just have to know what to look for.**

**LR: Oh yeah. That was fun.**

**Arren: Maybe Allan will get inspired by it.**

**LR: Not likely. In comparison, I'd say that this armor could beat Arren's armor when he goes demon, or maybe angel. But combined angel and demon armor on Arren would wipe the floor with what I have in mind.**

**Naruto: Dang.**

**AP: Well come on. It's an armor and power combining human, Nature, Angel, and Demon. Bound to Arren, it is nearly unstoppable. But only if it's fully unleashed. Well, there are two only two forces that could stop it. The Two Guardians of All.**

**LR: I know of an ultimate, evil power, that could stop all these armors. But it is so hideous. So terrifying. So inhumanly evil, that I can not utter it's name.**

**Naruto: Woah.**

**RS: What is it, what is it, what is it?**

**LR: No, I cannot.**

**RS: Please tell me!**

**LR: Fine. (Whispers in RS's ear)**

**RS: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! IT BURNS! (Falls over unconscious, with drool** **leaking out of her mouth**)

**Arashen: Dang. That's just wrong man.**

**LR: So sue me. Toomy.**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here but the story idea, and jutsu's someone else didn't come up with.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

**Moving Out**

Naruto and Katai grunted as their swords met. Almost immediately, a pushing match began, each trying to knock the other back with their blades locked.

_He's strong._ Naruto noted, as he felt the pressure. Naruto responded by adding more force. The two struggled for a few more seconds, before jumping apart. They landed, immediately reading their swords.

Katai glanced at the blond in front of him. _He is strong. But he must be awfully sure of himself to handicap himself with no nin or genjutsu._

_This guy is strong enough to negate any major advantage in strength. I'll probably be faster because I don't have armor, but he will be harder to hurt because of it. I guess we'll have to see if I can beat him in speed and agility._ Naruto rushed forwards, slashing from above. Katai blocked it easily,, only to grunt as Naruto struck him with a punch to one of the gaps in between armor pieces. Naruto jumped back, only to lunge with a slice from the side. Again, the sword blocked, only for Katai to swing a hook at Naruto's head. Naruto ducked, barely dodging the haymaker. Suddenly, Katai snapped a knee up, smashing into Naruto's face, and sending him flying. Naruto back flipped, landing on his feet. He reached up, and wiped a small bit of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Then he grinned.

"This should be fun." He said, before launching his next attack.

Hinata and the other's watched as the two clashed. There had been many stories, and rumors concerning the Senkou Ken of Tea Country. It was said that he was among the greatest swordsman ever. He had trained since he was a small boy, and had actually joined his father's samurai for a while. He had quickly risen in the ranks, until he was the undisputed leader of Tea Countries warriors.

Naruto had his own advantages. While he had not been trained as long as Katai, he was trained by a master of swords, whose teacher and father had been a master of swords and part of a ninja village that had spent their lives perfecting the art of kenjutsu. The Uzumaki had been know in the ninja world as kenjutsu masters. Hayate Gekkou, of Konoha, had trained under an Uzumaki, and before his death, had been considered one of the best blade wielders in Konoha.

Now the skills and abilities of the Uzumaki were showing. Naruto was moving around his opponent in a circle, attacking and withdrawing. This was one of the Uzumaki styles, know as Ken no Uzu (Sword of the Whirlpool). The wielder moved around the opponent, forcing them to constantly shift their position, and keep them off balance, while the wielder kept a flurry of attacks.

Naruto launched another strike, aiming for Katai's head. Katai ducked, but beofre Naruto could move back, Katai grabbed Naruto's ankle, pulling him off balance. Katai's sword flashed in a strike up at Naruto's head. NAruto was forced to yank back, feeling some pain as his body jerked in response. The blade missed Naruto's head, but shaved a few hairs from his bangs.

The two faced each other again, both panting slightly.

_This guy is good. _Naruto thought to Daini. _Very few people could disrupt that sword style._

"_Well, let's go with another one, shall we?_"

_You mean your's? I'll have to pull-_ Naruto was interrupted from his thoughts as Katai charged forward, aiming for Naruto's left side. Naruto managed to block the attack to the side. Katai suddenly drew in wakizashi in a reverse grip, aiming for Naruto's chest. Naruto was barely able to lean back, as the shorter blade drew a line across his shirt and chest.

Hinata gasped, and the Hyuuga elders smirked, as Naruto jumped back, holding his chest. Their was a line of blood from the slightly diagonal cut. He looked up at Katai, who smiled. Naruto smiled back, as the wound suddenly closed . Katai's eyes widened in wonder.

"How?" He asked. Naruto smirked.

"Trade secret. If you lived in Konoha, you would know. Now, shall we continue?" Katai nodded, his surprise overcome. He launched himself at Naruto, both blades coming down. Naruto suddenly yanked on the end of the katana hilt, revealing the hidden knife.

(A/N: Remember the description in chapter four.)

Naruto held the katana and knife in an x formation, using the knife to support the katana. It blocked both strikes. NAruto lowered his arms, bring the blades down, then suddenly stabbed at Katai with the knife. Katai twisted away, with the knife grazing his armor. He stepped back as Naruto replaced the knife into the hilt of the sword. He eyed the sword.

"Is that an Uzumaki katana?"

"Yeah. One of the last from Uzu itself. This is Uzu Izou, my mother's family's legacy."

Katai nodded. "Uzu swords are famous through out the world. They are among the best forged, seeing as they were put to more extremes then normal katana."

Naruto nodded. "That's right. This one had a hidden blade in the hilt, allowing the wielder an extra advantage. But against a samurai, this advantage is lost due to the short length of the knife. I think I need to even the odds a little."

With that, Naruto switched Izou to his left hand, and held his right over the seal on his left arm. Suddenly, Fuzen appeared in his hand. Katai now looked at the new sword in wonder.

"What is that?" Naruto smiled as he held up the second sword.

"Fuzen Ate. It's a blade infused with pure energy, making it especially deadly to those of pure evil. Now, shall we?" Naruto adopted another stance. Izou, in his left hand, was held pointed at the ground, while Fuzen in his right was held up. Everyone looked at him in surprise, since no one recognized, or even knew the stance he was in.

_What is that? _Hiashi thought to himself. Naruto suddenly moved forward, spinning as he brought Izou in his left hand up for a strike. Katai blocked it, only to see Fuzen moving fast in the wake of Izou's attack. Katai was barely able to dodge, when Naruto's foot slammed into his chest, knocking him back. Naruto moved back into his stance, then charged.

Katai couldn't help but smirk, as his heart was filled with a mixture of joy, and fear. No one had ever given him this much of a challenge since his training days. That made him happy, and at the same time afraid, as this was Naruto's abilities, without using the advantages of a ninja. He blocked the pair of strike from both Izou and Fuzen, and was barely able to move his right leg out of the way from being broken by a snap kick Naruto aimed at his knee. He went on the offensive, using all his knowledge and skill to try and drive an opening through Naruto's defense.

Naruto, thanks to his reflex training with Arren, and the speed from Daini and his weight training, was able to keep a second ahead of Katai's swords. Still, this man was strong. Naruto smiled.

"If only you had been a ninja. You could have one of the best." Naruto said, as he blocked a slice at his ribs, followed by a second attack at his head.

"Should you really be talking when you should be fighting?" Katai asked simply, parrying one of Naruto's blades to the side.

"Just trying to be civil about this." Naruto shot back, before using Izou to block a double downward strike. As he did, he lashed with Fuzen. The blade actually struck across Katai's breastplate, and caused a gash to appear in the armor. Katai cursed as he leapt back, and inspected the damage. He looked at Naruto who stood in a ready position.

"Impressive. If I wasn't wearing armor, that would have killed me." Naruto just smiled, as he shrugged.

"Does that mean you're done, or shall we keep going?" Katai just lunged forward, hoping to catch Naruto off guard. Naruto was amazed at the sudden burst of speed, and just barely managed to dodge. Kata's wakizashi managed to nick his left arm. Naruto looked at the wound, before nodding.

"Guess I need to kick it up a notch." He said, using his chakra to release the seals on his arm and leg weights. They fell to the ground, creating small craters. (Not Lee sized, but still impressive) He smiled as he moved his limbs.

"Much better." He said, before moving at high speed at Katai. The samurai was barely able to raise a sword to block Naruto, before his katana was smashed down by the combined power of Naruto's strength and momentum. Naruto disappeared again, reappearing behind Katai, Izou preparing to strike at Katai's head. Katai ducked, only to get hit by a spinning kick to the back, which sent him flying forward. Katai managed to go into a one handed handstand, and somersault, twisting so he landed facing Naruto. But Naruto was right behind him, barely giving Katai a moment to land before he drove the hilt of Izou into Katai's stomach. Katai bent over, before his wakizashi was smashed into the ground by the force of the blow Naruto landed on it with Fuzen. Katai raised his sword in one final effort, ready to deliver a downward chop, only to feel Fuzen's blade tickle his throat. Naruto held Fuzen in a reverse grip, while Izou was ready to intercept Katai's blade.

"I suggest you surrender, Katai. I would hate to have to kill a warrior such as yourself." Naruto said, his voice barely betraying the slight exhaustion he felt. Katai slowly nodded, as he lowered his blade. He stabbed it into the ground, before bowing on one knee to Naruto.

"You are a superior warrior. I bow to your skill, and admit defeat."

Naruto nodded. "I will admit this. You are the strongest opponent I have faced who wasn't a ninja. In fact, you are stronger than some of my ninja opponents. I am honored to have fought you."

Amongst the spectators, there were mixed reactions. Hiashi was happy to see his daughter's love triumph, while Hinata was ecstatic that Naruto had one. She quickly rushed out, and hugged Naruto, who held her close to him. Suddenly they were surrounded by Hyuuga shinobi of the main branch of the family. The elders, their faces livid, approached.

"We do not accept this! Hinata Hyuuga will not be married to this demon scum, one way or another!"

Naruto held Hinata closer to him with one sword, as he raised Fuzen Ate in the other. "If you dare threaten her, I'll kill everyone of you."

"Like you could take us all on, demon! Kill him!" With that, the Hyuuga shinobi charged. Naruto immediately released Hinata, and swung his blade in an arc, slitting the throats of five Hyuuga's at once. A sixth came under his swing, and was about to strike him with a kunai, when Hinata struck him twice in the chest, destroying his heart.

Another Hyuuga was coming in behind them, when Katai suddenly appeared, slashing sideways. The Hyuuga was cut in half, and his body fell apart. The ten samurai guards entered the fray, seeing their charge join the fight, along with Tsunade and her ANBU. As soon as that happened, the battle turned against the Hyuuga's. The elders tried to run, only to find themselves surrounded by branch members, and the Main members loyal to Hiashi. The remaining attacking Hyuuga's surrendered, seeing themselves being slaughtered.

Hiashi approached the surrounded elders, glaring at them. "You have betrayed both your village by attacking one of it's ninja, and betrayed your clan, by not following it's laws, and ordering it's members to attack the heiress. By doing this, you are all beyond redemption." Suddenly, his face lit up in an evil smile.

"Hinata, perhaps you would like to decide their fate."

Hinata, with Naruto in tow, came over. She looked over the elders, her anger and contempt for them ill hidden in her eyes.

"For as long as I can remember, you all have put me down. You made me feel worthless, and you treated members of your own clan and family like garbage. And all this under the pretense that it was best for the clan. No more. I decree that all of you will be branded with the seal of the branch family, and be placed as the lowliest of servants. You will answer to every member of the Hyuuga clan, Main or Branch. And when the time comes, you will be the last to ever bear that seal." Hinata turned to her father.

"That is their punishment. As for those who sided with them, the same should be done for them, while the dead are buried, their names forever stained with dishonor."

Hiashi nodded. "Very well. Take them away, and have them sealed."

The elders and their allies protested as they were dragged away, while Hiashi turned to Hinata. "You surprise me. The punishment was fitting, but quite harsh. Especially coming from you."

Hinata lowered her head. "I..... I know. I don't want anyone to suffer the seal. But when I saw them come after us, when they came Naruto..... I was so enraged. I.... wanted them to suffer, for all they have done, and were planning to do." She started to shake, until Naruto took her in his arms, and held her close.

"It's okay. Hina-hime, everyone has that point where they can't take anymore. You've been so patient, enduring everything they have thrown at you. You just finally reached the point where you couldn't take anymore. Don't think this makes you a different person. You're still you, and I love you."

Hinata looked up at him, smiling as tears of joy fell from her eyes. She slowly reached up, and cupped his cheek, before their lips met in a soft, but loving kiss. They stayed that way for several minutes, while Hiashi moved away, along with the Hyuuga's. Tsunade smiled, as she turned to Katai and his men who were cleaning their katana's.

"Perhaps we could go discuss the alliance between our village and your father's country?"

"Indeed. I am truly glad he defeated me. They really care for each other, don't they?"

They left Naruto and Hinata alone. The two of them separated, looking into each other's eyes, before Naruto glanced around.

"You know, I've heard the gardens here are wonderful. Is this true?" He asked her with a smile. She nodded, before leading him to the garden. She smiled as she looked around.

"This place has so many special memories for me. Me and my mother spent many afternoons sitting here, talking about my future. She would always tell me that I would grow up to be an amazing person, no matter what I chose to do." Hinata smiled at the memories, as she led Naruto over to her favorite bench. It was surrounded by roses, violets, and other flowers. She sat down on it, and Naruto joined her, as she glanced around.

"When my mother died, I would come here, so I could remember her. Sometimes, I could almost feel like she was next to me. Sometimes, I talk about what is going on, almost as if I was telling her about what was happening."

Naruto gently reached into his pocket, touching the small box in there. "This place is very special to you then." As Hinata nodded, Naruto smiled.

"Hinata-chan, before you came and found me, and told me about this fight, I had made a decision. The marriage contract says we are engaged, and I couldn't be happier. But..... I want you to know just how much I really care about you. And.... what you just said makes me believe this is a perfect spot to do it. So that in a way, your mom can share this with you."

He pulled out the box, as he sank to one knee. He gently held it out, while opening. Hinata gasped, as she saw a golden ring with a diamond, flanked by two amethyst crystals.

"Hinata Hyuuga? Would you marry me?" Naruto asked softly. Hinata just stared at the ring, before gently picking it up. She took the ring out, her eye's still locked on it. Slowly, with a smile forming on her face, she slipped the ring on her ring finger, before throwing the box aside and hugging Naruto.

"Yes. Yes I will marry you." She whispered into his neck, as she cried tears of joy. Naruto hugged her close, both of them crying. The two most loneliest people of Konoha finally knew they would never be apart.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_Three days later_

Naruto and Jiraiya had finished the modifications to Eflower's and Arren's seals. Jiraiya was working on Arren's which was located on his left arm. Naruto, behind a screen, was working on Eflower's which was located on her shoulder, and looked like a diving eagle.

As they finished, Naruto poked his head out from behind the screen. I figure we give the ink a few minute's to dry, before we finish up here."

"Are you sure you got the seal right? Maybe I should check." Jiraiya said innocently, only to be met with a snort from Arren. Naruto shook his head.

"Ero-sennin, I don't trust you, Arren doesn't trust you, and Eflower sure as heck doesn't trust you." He turned to Eflower, who had a towel covering her from the chest to her waist, since it was necessary to remove her shirt to get at the seal. "Right?"

Eflower agreed, while Jiraiya pouted. Finally, the ink dried, and the two sealers began working their hand signs, beofre touching the seals.

"SEAL!" They shouted as one. Both Eflower and Arren felt a sensation spread from the seal, before vanishing. Naruto smiled as he looked at both of them.

"Well?" He asked. Eflower slowly got up, and reached for her shirt. Naruto turned away, as she put it on. Arren had pulled his shirt back on to, and when both were readied, they contacted their tenants. In a poof of smoke, the two biju's appeared.

Onbin appeared out of the smoke, wearing a gold brown kimono, with a flying eagle design. Her long gold brown hair rippled as she looked around, her tawny colored eyes taking everything in.

Near Arren, there was a coughing noise. "Dang, I hate this smoke." Came of voice out from the smoke, before it dissipated.

Haiya, in human form, was tall. Mind bending tall. He reached over six feet in height. His eye's were a vivid amber in color, and reflected light, almost like cat eyes. His hair was jet back, and reached down to the bottom of his neck. He was wearing black trousers, t-shirt, over coat, and boots. He glanced around, before spying Onbin.

"So, I finally get to meet Onbin Tsume. I must say, it is a pleasure." He said, a smile on his face, as he extended a hand to shake. Onbin giggled, as she shook his hand.

"Haiya Shikon, I presume. The honor is mine." The two smiled, as did Arren and Eflower. Jiraiya's eyes bulged out, as he saw the beautiful Onbin. He immediately started reaching for his notebook, only to feel a strange sensation in the pocket it should have been in.

"What's that? It feels like.... FIRE!" He yelled, noticing the pocket his notebook was in was on fire. He ran around the room, yelling as he tried to put the flames out. Everyone was laughing, until Hinata, who was sitting against the wall, used a water jutsu to put it out before something else caught on fire. Jiraiya slumped to the ground, as Naruto smirked.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet the two of you." Naruto said to the two biju's. Daini appeared as well. Haiya and Onbin, being lesser biju's, immediately stiffened in respect and fear, but Daini shook her head.

"C'mon, lighten up. Look, as long as we hang out with the kids here, I'm not Kyuubi no Kitsune, okay? I'm just Daini Keiki Uzumaki. Deal?" She said holding out a hand. Onbin hesitantly shook her hand, but Haiya, who had seemed to accept Daini, just smiled as he shook her hand.. Daini smiled. "Now, the first thing we should do is the three of us go and do some exploring. I've found some great places around Konoha, and I think you guys will like them."

She pulled them away, while the others smiled. Arren nodded after them. "Quite the family we have going, huh cuz?" Naruto nodded, as Hinata came and stood next to them all.

"So, what now?"

"Well, we could go train, eat, or just relax. What do you think, soon to be Hinata Namikaze?"

Hinata giggled, while Arren and Eflower smiled. A few hours after Naruto proposed, they had told Arren and Eflower. Eflower had happily congratutlated the couple, hugging Hinata, while. Arren had heartily smacked Naruto on the back. Soon, their other friends and sensei's were told, and a huge celebration had been thrown for the two of them. Lee had accidently gotten his hands on some sake, and drank it. The ensuing rampage was luckily cut short by the combined power of Naruto and Arren, with Naruto using one tail of Daini's power, and Arren tapping into Haiya's power.

Hinata just snuggled against Naruto. "As long as I'm with you, I don't care."

Naruto nodded. "Then how about some dango? That seal modification left me peckish."

They all nodded, and headed for the local dango stand. There, they ran into Anko and Kisame, who were busy putting away dango like there was no tomorrow. Naruto smirked.

"I see Kisame has a sweet shark tooth." Kisame just smirked, a dango pick sticking out of his mouth as he chewed the last dumpling on that stick. Anko leaned around them.

"Well, well. 'Black Fox' Namikaze. How you doing?"

"Just fine, Anko. Just fine. We got back from modifying Arren's and Eflower's seals. I would introduce you to Haiya and Onbin, but Daini dragged them off somewhere and-." He was cut short by Daini popping back into his seal, and immediately yelling to him.

"_Naruto, we just went past a couple of guys, who I don't think are from the village. They were asking about Link."_

Naruto nodded, before turning to the others. "We might have some trouble."

Arren and Eflower nodded, while Hinata looked at them curiously. "What is it?"

"Daini, Onbin, and Haiya found some people looking for Link. I'll check it out, while you three go tell Hokage-sama."

The three of them nodded, and disappeared.

A fair distance away, in one of the training fields, Link was busy practicing his swordsmanship against several revolving training dummies. He was finishing up his set, and was about to start a new one, when there was some noises behind him. He turned to see a few civilians looking at him. He smiled, and waved.

"Can I help you all?"

"Are you Link?"

As Link nodded, one of the civilians turned to the others. "We found him." Suddenly, he flung a kunai at Link. Link blocked it with his shield. When he lowered it, the civilians were gone, replaced with ten Iwa ANBU.

"Oh man." Link groaned, as one rushed at him, katana drawn. He slashed downward, and Link raised his Hylian shield to block. He sliced under his upraised shield, catching the ANBU off guard, as the Master Sword ripped through his abdomen. He fell clutching his stomach, while Link prepared for the next assault. Two of the ANBU attacked with kunai, while a third finished hand signs. "**Earth Style, Sonic Rock Jutsu!**" A rock ripped from the ground, and launched at Link at almost sonic speed. He barely managed to dodge it, when one of the two ANBU attacking with kunai came in. He blocked and parried each attack, but when he tried to go on the offensive, the other would attack. Slowly, they were forcing him back. Link somersaulted backwards, putting some distance between them. When he landed, he was in the stance for a spin attack. As the two ANBU charged him, his blade glowed. With a yell, he spun in a circle, unleashing a wave of energy from his blade. The energy wave struck the two ANBU, sending them flying, as blood spurted from their chest's and stomachs.

The remaining seven kept their distance, which gave Link a chance to pull the bow from his magic bag, and unleash several arrows. The last one contained an explosive tag.

The ANBU dodged the first several arrows eaily, but then the last one blew up near two of them, killing one, and ripping another's arm off. Before he could launch another arrow, Link found his feet being caught by shackles made of stone. One of the ANBU chuckled as he landed.

"Got ya." He said, before throwing a kunai at Link. Link watched it coming closer, before there was a sudden flash, and he was drifting in a white plain. Suddenly, the voices of the three goddesses spoke as one.

"_**Hero of Hyrule. We grant you our power's. Use them well.**_" Link's eyes opened, as a memory flashed through his head.

"NARYU'S LOVE!" He shouted, and a blue, diamond shaped energy shield surrounded him. The kunai glanced off it, while Link's Triforce mark glowed on his hand. Suddenly, fire seemed to erupt from his palm, and he held it up for the Iwa ANBU to see.

"DIN'S FIRE!" A wave of flames erupted from his hand, melting the shackles and shooting out to engulf the closest ANBU in the divine flames of the Goddesses of Power. The ANBU, a charred corpse, fell, but Link felt exhausted. He fell to one knee, as the remaining four ANBU advanced.

A tri-pronged kunai landed in front of him, and then, there was a flash of light. The Iwa ANBU stopped, fear gripping their hearts, as they recognized the jutsu that had just been used. Standing before them was a man dressed in a black coat and pants, with a grey shirt, long spiky blond hair, and a Uzu headband. In his left hand were several more of the tri-pronged kunai, and in his left was a red and black hilt katana. His eyes were closed.

One of the ANBU uttered three words in absolute terror. "The Yellow Flash." He whispered.

"Nope. I'm worse." Naruto whispered, as he opened his eyes, revealing them to be red with slitted pupils. He threw the kunai, before disappearing. When he finally reappeared, the four ANBU fell to the ground in bloody chunks. Naruto took a deep breath, as he cleaned his sword. He turned to Link, who was sitting down, panting.

"What was that?" He asked the blond hero. Link raised his head.

"Powers.... Powers from.... the goddesses." Link ran a hand across his brow, trying to get some of the sweat off. Naruto just smiled as he gathered the kunai.

"Well, they were cool. I really liked the blue one."

Link would have answered, except he was busy drinking some water from the canteen he had bought shortly after arriving in Konoha. He lowered it, before getting to his feet, and glancing at the bodies. "So, want to tell me why I was attacked, and who they were?"

Naruto slowly went through the remains, until he found a set of orders not stained by blood, burnt to a crisp, or sliced to pieces. "Here we go. This is....... weird." Naruto said, reading the orders.

"What is it?"

"They were sent to assassinate you, by orders of the Tscuhikage himself. And that is weird, considering you should be almost unknown to them. Why would they want to kill you?"

Link shrugged, as Naruto rolled up the report. After a few moments contemplation, he turned to Link_**. **_"We need to inform baa-chan about this." With that, the two headed off for the Tower.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

To say Tsunade was angry was an understatement. To say she was furious was still an understatement. She was enraged at what Naruto reported.

"What the hell are those guards doing?! HOW DID TEN IWA ANBU GET IN HERE?!" She shouted, which could be heard clear at the gate. The two chuunin there suddenly felt very afraid, and decided to hide after their shift was up.

Naruto just shrugged. "I don't get why they went after Link. I mean, I'm the biggest target for Iwa at least. The son of their hated enemy, the Yellow Flash. Why go after Link?"

"I don't know, but I know who can find out. Shizune! Find Jiraiya, and if you have to, paralyze him and drag him back."

Shizune nodded. But as she left, Jiraiya landed in the room through a window. "Some one call for me?"

Tsunade looked at him, then banged her head on the desk. She looked back up at him. "I need your spy network. Find out why Iwa targeted Link. For now, I won't take any actions, until I know what is going on."

Jiraiya nodded. "So, what do I get for my services? Perhaps you might indulge me, and model for my next book?"

Ayame was busy cleaning the counter at Ichiraku, when they was a slight exploding noise. She looked up to see a figure go blasting through the roof of the Hokage's Tower. She shrugged, and thought about when she and Itachi would be married. She giggled a bit as she touched the ring on her finger again.

Tsunade sighed, as slight debris rained from the hole in the ceiling. "In the meantime, I have a mission for the five of you. Yes, five. We've learned that Akatsuki is gathering together, and may even launch an invasion against us. I want to beat them to the punch. I'm sending all of you, plus Itachi and Kisame after Akatsuki. This is an SS-ranked assassination mission. Be careful."

Naruto and Team Outcast nodded, before leaving. Naruto stopped them all as they exited the Hokage's Tower.

"This will be tough. We have to get into a enemy village, gearing itself for invasion, and take down at least three, maybe more, S-ranked ninja's. I want everyone to make sure you're well supplied. We'll meet up at the gate in an hour."

Everyone nodded, before dispersing. Link went to have all his weapons sharpened, and gather supplies, at the weapon shop run by Tenten's family. Arren and Eflower headed to gather medical supplies, while Hinata went to her clan to gather what she needed. Naruto looked back at the monument of the Hokage's.

_Please, help me protect my comrades. _He pleaded to the deceased Hokage's. Little did he know that his plead had been heard, and would be answered.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The shinobi forces of Ame were almost completely gathered. They knew that even if there were outnumbered, their "god" and his followers would bring them victory.

Pein watched his people gather for war. He sighed. "It is ironic that peace must be brought through war."

"But that is the way of the world." Madara said, as he stepped out of the shadows. He looked down.

"Humans will never agree to co-exist peacefully. The only way to bring about peace is under fear. And when our mission is complete, we will have the power to make the other countries fear and respect us."

Pein nodded. "Yes, Madara-sama. Then all will be as it should be."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Konoha, Team Outcast met up with Itachi and Kisame. Naruto nodded to them. "Shall we get going?"

Itachi nodded. "Once we get into Ame, we'll lead you into the Akatsuki's base. We'll need all out strength to beat those that remains."

"Pein didn't seem that tough to me. I wasn't using my full power, and was tired, and I still had him where I could kill him."

"He underestimated you, Naruto. His strength surpasses mine by a great deal. And he is not to be taken lightly. But in truth, even he is not the most powerful member of Akatsuki."

Everyone looked at him in surprise, even Kisame. The former Kiri ninja moved closer. "Who is then?"

"The one who helped me take down the Uchiha clan. The one who helped found Konoha alongside the Shodaime. Madara Uchiha."

* * *

**LR: Cliffhanger. All right. Akatsuki's time draws near. But will Team Outcast reach Ame in time?**

**AP: Of course they will! Or they won't get there in time, but will stop the villains. They always do!**

**RS: Hahahahahahaahahahahaah! Burn!**

**LR: Shut up!**

**RS: Make me!**

**Naruto: Those two really are siblings.**

**LR and RS engage in massive cartoon style brawl.**

**Please review.**


	21. Even a God King Bleeds Part 1

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* * *

**

Well, I'm almost done ranting. I just want to make one thing clear.

**What happened with Reviewer was not me ignoring advice. But the problem was three things. Reviewer was telling me to stop writing, when he and one other (not Cody) were the only ones. Why should I disappoint so many others who enjoy my fanfics, just because two people don't like them?** **That's like the a movie being shut down just because one out of ten people say they don't like it.**

**If everyone wasn't enjoying my fics, and it was obvious to a lot of people thought that I was doing a bad job, then I would have stopped, and worked on my writing style to make it better. But so many people like it, and think I'm doing fine. **

**Secondly, Reviewer gave me almost no advice on how to actually fix my problems. How am I supposed to achieve his/her standards if they don't tell me exactly what I can do to make it better? All I got was that there is no originality, and that I should stop. How does that help?**

**Thirdly, the only reason I did shoot back, was because Reviewer, and Anonymous (who are two different people, apparently) went after the readers. I'm sorry, but just because they didn't like the story doesn't automatically make everyone who reads it and likes it an idiot. It just means that those two, and the rest of you have different tastes. **

**Look, I'm not above accepting advice. Hell, if you have any, give it, and if I can, I'll follow that advice. But I'm not going to sit here and have someone insult people who happen to like my fanfic. It's just not right, especially since all of you have done nothing wrong to deserve being insulted.**

**Sorry. I'm just really tired, and slightly stressed. Anyways, the holiday season is upon us, and I hope you all are having a Merry Christmas, or whatever it is you celebrate.**

**Naruto: Merry Christmas!**

**RS: Yeah!**

**Arashen: Hope you all have a good one!**

**Link: What's Christmas?**

**LR: Oh, it's the best! (Begins long explanation of the religious, and holiday sides of Christmas)**

Disclaimer: Here's a early Happy Holiday's. As for this, I don't own anything.

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**Chapter 21**

**Even a God King Bleeds Part 1**

Naruto looked over at him. "Madara Uchiha? Co-founder of Konoha? I'm confused."

Itachi sighed. "It starts back before Konoha. Madara Uchiha was head of the Uchiha clan, who were locked in a fierce rivalry with the Senju clan, Tsunade-sama's clan. In the end, the Uchiha clan decided to ally themselves with the Senju, and Konoha began. Madara feared that the alliance would weaken the clan, and lead to it's destruction. When the rest of the clan refused to join him, he cursed them, and left Konoha. He and the leader of the Senju clan, the Shodai Hokage Hashirama Senju fought at the Valley of the End, giving it that name."

(A/N: Turns out it's Shodai, instead of Shodaime. My bad.)

Itachi glanced at Naruto. "In fact, Kyuubi-sama should be most familiar with that battle."

Naruto inclined his head when Daini spoke up. "_He's right. Madara used his version of the Mangekyou Sharingan to control me in his fight against the Shodai. The Shodai used his own powers over the Mokutan to help free me of this influence._"

As NAruto tunred back to Itachi, the last Uchiha nodded, and continued. "Madara escaped that battle, and went into hiding. From what I understand, he posed as the Sandaime Mizukage for a while. Eventually, he went underground again. And it was him who I aided me in the destruction of my clan. He was the one, who under a henge of me, personallkilled my father and mother. Then, in the hope of protecting Sasuke from Madara, I used Tsukuyomi on him. I made him hate me, so he would grow strong enough to not be seduced by Madara's power. Then I left with Madara, and you know the rest."

Itachi glanced at the road ahead. The group had been moving the whole time. Link was riding his horse Senkou, while the other's leapt through the trees. Naruto began going over everything he had learned, before turning to Itachi.

"Okay. So we've got Pein, who has six bodies, each with a different function. I trashed one body bad, but he may have replaced it. Then we have Konan, whose skilled in some weird paper jutsu, right?" As Itachi nodded, Naruto sighed. "Then there's Madara Uchiha, who is probably more powerful than you, and maybe even me, since he could negate the advantage Daini nee-chan gives me. Anything else?"

Kisame, at the back of the group, spoke up. "Well, there's also Zetsu. That guy is messed up."

Itachi nodded. "Zetsu is formerly of Kusagakura no Sato. His skills make him an excellent scout, but I have never actually seen him engage in battle. Probably, he is skilled in grass based ninjutsu. What Kisame means about him being messed up is that Zetsu's seems to have a dual personality. His body is divided in half. One side is usually polite and reserved. The other side is rough, and more obnoxious. He actually surrounds his body with a venus fly trap like growth Oh, and he eats corpses."

Everyone but Kisame gagged. Arren recovered first, and voiced his opinion.

"So, we don't know how he fights, right? Well, its probably the same for them with Link. Not only that, but Link has some new moves that should help him." Naruto looked back at hi cousin and nodded.

"Right. Link will take Zetsu, while me and Hinata take Madara, and-."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Arren interrupted. Naruto glared back at Arren, and was about to speak, when Arren explained. "You and Hinata don't have that much experience fighting together-."

"But we have worked just fine in the past!" Naruto stated. Arren shrugged.

"I didn't mean any offence. But hinata is not the most powerful of the group." Naruto stopped and glared at his cousin. The rest of the squad stopped, and the two females grew worried at the situation.

"Your point?" Naruto asked testily with a growl. Arren held up his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"Just hear me out. Hinata, being a water user, and having the Protective Eight Trigrams, would work better against Konan than Madara, since Konan uses paper in her attacks. Itachi, using fire, and Kisame, also using water, work well too. But since Itachi has the final form of the Sharingan, I think he would work better with you against Madara."

Naruto choked down his angry retort, as he thought about it. Grudgingly, he agreed. "Fine. Hinata and Kisame will take Konan, while Itachi and I take on Madara. Thanks to the dragon and phoenix summons I have, I've got a trump card."

"Oh, so they taught you that technique?" Arren asked curiously as they started forward. Naruto looked at him with a curious expression.

"Yeah, they did. How come they never taught it to the Pikku?"

"Because we have absolutely no regular chakra. We only use nature chakra, and the technique is a major chakra burner. So, none of the pikku could use it. If we could, more than a few of us would have learned it."

With that, Arren dropped to the back of the group. Naruto nodded, as he looked forward again. "Well, that leaves Pein. I take it you and Eflower can handle him?"

"I've been thinking about that guy. The problem is Pein has so many bodies, capable of sharing their thoughts and sight. Surprise attacks will be near impossible, and most of our regular attacks won't do much good either, because of the abilities of his bodies. But I've got an jutsu that can take care of him. All I need is to be protected until I can pull it off."

Naruto glanced back, and asked. "Is this like you going into a rage, and becoming an angel-demon hybrid slaying machine?"

"No, I did that last time. I prefer to defeat my enemies in different ways." Arren said lightly. "Trust me, if I can pull it off, their going down."

"And if you can't?" Hinata asked from her position in the group. Arren's just shrugged.

"If I'm interrupted, nothing happens. But if the jutsu is completed, but doesn't work, I'll more than likely die."

Everyone gasped and looked back at him. Eflower moved closer, while Naruto shook his head.

"You got anything else?"

"Sure. I've got a dozen other abilities I could use. The problem? The one I'm talking about guarantees victory. I've been talking to Haiya about it, and he's going to help me with it."

Eflower bounced off the side of a tree to move closer to Arren, and grab his hand. She shouted up to Naruto. "What about Madara's Sharingan? Wouldn't he just use it to influence Daini against you?"

Naruto nodded. "Normally, yes. But I've been talking with Kakashi-sensei, Gai sensei, and Itachi. I've learned a few ways around the Sharingan, and with Ero-sennin, Itachi's, and Daini nee-chan's help, I've been developing some mental defenses to keep him from influencing her. And thanks to the dragon ad phoenix summons, I have a trump card."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Arren asked. "The dragons and phoenix's are powerful, but I wouldn't call them a trump card against Madara."

"It's a special technique you can pull off with the both of them. Something that they don't tell everyone about, even the Pikku. Only those who they deem can handle the power are told of a secret technique that can be used in combination with a certain dragon and phoenix summon."

Arren sighed. "That's like them. Of all the summons, the dragon's were most mysterious, with the phoenix's right behind them. They never told anyone, even the Pikku, everything about them. Well, I hope I get to see what this trump card is."

Naruto looked back. "I hope I don't have to use it. It's a massive chakra burner, even for someone with a biju sealed in them."

The conversation died down after that, as they conserved their energy for travel. Naruto glanced around at the group. Each of them had done something to help him the past. Arren had trained him. Eflower had helped cure his rage. Link had helped him understand the true nature's of heroes. Itachi and Kisame had been protecting him. And Hinata. Hinata had been there for him from the beginning. She had given him love and encouragement from the beginning. She had been the first to learn his secret, and she had given him everything he needed. Friendship, and love.

_I'll protect them all. They have given me something, and I'll give my all back._

"_I'll help you. I'll help protect your family._" Daini said.

_Our family, nee-chan. They are our family._

"_Our family. I like that._" Daini whispered. Naruto couldn't see the tears running down her face. In her life as Kyuubi, Daini never had what could be called a family. She had never let anyone close. Now, she knew what had made her so angry all her life. She had always been alone, and it made her fell horrible, which made her angry. Now, she had a family, and it made her feel incredible.

_Never again._ She thought. _Never again._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

On top of the Hokage's Tower, Tsunade looked up at the five heads on the Hokage's Monument. She sighed, as she leaned back against the railing.

"So, what troubles you?" Someone asked from below and behind her. She turned around to see Jiraiya clinging to the wall.

"Do you do anything normal?" She asked irritably, as she turned back to the monument. Jiraiya jumped up next to her.

"Where's the fun in that?" He said with a smile. He became serious as Tsunade neither laughed, or punched him into the ground. "What is it?"

"How?" She whispered. "How can a person be so strong, that they want to protect everyone, even when a vast majority made their live a living hell?"

"You mean the gaki? Honestly, I'm not sure, but I have a theory." He joined her at the railing. "See, from what I understand, each of the people up there, including you, have always been different from everyone else. It seemed that no matter what, they were willing to help people, even with their own lives. They were so dedicated to their way, that they became the strongest, and most natural choices for leading and protecting the village."

As Tsunade looked at him, he smiled. "In a way, I believe that the 'will of fire' burns brightest in those who are the best choice for becoming the next Hokage. It burned in your grand father, his brother, sensei, Minato, and now in you. And in Naruto, it's the brightest I've ever seen in a person. From the get go, I think that boy was meant to be the greatest Hokage ever. Not because of his skills or strength, not because of his reputation or diplomacy, but because of his heart."

Tsunade nodded. "For once, one of your theories sounds reasonable."

Jiraiya smirked. "Now, how about my other theories? Like the one where your secretly in lo-."

Tsunade just sighed, as she left the roof. Jiraiya's bruised and battered form was left twitching in the crater he was in."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In Ame, the Zetsu had arrived, and now, Akatsuki was preparing for their attack. Madara, having now taken his place among Akatsuki, faced the three remaining members.

"We will need to move fast, and hit Konoha hard. Pein will lead the assault, and weaken their defenses, before the main invasion begins. I will be the one to deal with the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. With my Sharingan, I'll be able to stop the biju's power easily."

They all nodded. Madara smiled behind his mask. "Go, and rest. Soon, we will take out the greatest threat to our dreams and plans. Soon, our destiny will be back on track."

As they dispersed, Madara sat back. "It was a pity about Sasuke. If only I had gotten to him, I could have taught him so much."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto and company slipped past the border of Fire Country, and into Rain Country the following day. Because of the constant rain, they all pulled on cloaks with hoods. The hooded cloaks also served to hide their identities as they headed for Ame.

As midnight began to fall, Itachi glanced at the shinobi village. "It looks like almost all their shinobi are geared for war."

"Against Konoha? They'd be slaughtered." Kisame said.

"By themselves, yes. But you forget who is with them. Pein alone could do massive damage to konoha, if he was able to catch them off guard."

Kisame sighed. "Well, if all their shinobi are geared up, wouldn't that make it easier for us to sneak in?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes it would be. The problem is once we're in, it becomes that much harder with all the shinobi on alert. Which they will be, since they are about to go to war."

Kisame turned back to the other's nearby, and signaled to them. They joined up, as Itachi made his report. Naruto glanced at the wall himself.

"Well, we just need to get over that wall. Which means the guards need to be taken care of. Any ideas?"

Link glanced at the wall. "Well..... their spaced out enough, that I should have a problem with this."

He pulled out a mask that was shaped like a hawk, and covered his eyes and nose. He put it on, pulled out his bow, and took careful aim. With a small grunt, he let loose with the arrow nocked on his bow. HE quickly began doing the same, firing off three more arrows at different targets. With a nod, he put away the bow and mask.

"There's a nice big gap in the wall sentries now. Shouldn't be a problem."

The team nodded, and Naruto led the way to the wall.

In the tower of Akatsuki, Pein suddenly stiffened, before getting out of bed, and heading to Madara's chambers. He knew the Uchiha rarely slept anymore. He knocked on the door, and waited.

"Who is it?"

"Madara-sama, we have intruders near Ame."

Madara came out of his room. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Six, possibly seven figures have interrupted the rainfall. And the way they are moving is not normal civilian behavior."

(A/N: Sorry. Just want to say, what is up with that? I mean, Pein can sense the rain being disrupted from hitting the ground normally? It happened in the manga, but still, that's a little too powerful if you ask me. Still, it's the best way to make sure there is an actual fight scene.)

Madara nodded. "Gather the others, and some of your best shinobi. We'll greet them in the main hall."

Pein bowed and left. Madara quickly pulled his Akatsuki robe over his black body suit. "Well, it would seem we may not need to invade Konoha after all." He snickered, as he put on the orange swirl mask.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The assassination team slipped over the wall, disposing of the dead corpses of the sentries, before heading down the other side. Once in the city, Itachi pointed to the tall tower of the rather modern looking city.

"That's it there. The Akatsuki base."

Naruto glanced up at it. "You know, it looks like someone is trying to compensate for something." He said innocently.

Everyone looked at him, before they burst into stifled giggles and laughter. Naruto smirked, before nodding down an alleyway. The group moved out.

For the most part, the shinobi had little difficulty in avoiding people and Ame shinobi. But Link was a different matter. Due to his lack of chakra, he wasn't able to stick to walls, or place genjutsu on anyone. However, he made up for it by simply hiding in plain view. Almost no one gave him a second glance.

A few Ame shinobi were a little more observant though. They did notice the group, but before they could sound an alarm, Itachi dealt with them. Being a former ANBU captain, and having specialized in assassination, he had little difficulty slaying the Ame ninja's that discovered them without trouble.

A half hour later, they stood outside the tower. Naruto glanced around the corner at the one and only entrance. Two ANBU stood outside of it, ready for trouble. Naruto sighed, as he turned back to them.

"We've got two ANBU, and then we're in the home stretch. Any ideas?"

Itachi looked around. "It would be too hard to just take them out. We need a distraction."

Link glanced at a condemned building nearby. "I think I have an idea. But I need Arren to pull it off."

The two ANBu stood at the ready outside the entrance. But truth be told, they were bored.

"Hey, you ever wonder why we're stuck out here guarding the door, when we could lock it from inside and watch it from there?"

The other ANBU glanced at him. "That would be smart, but the ANBU captain thinks we should deal with the threat's out here."

"Which is why half the ANBU get sick, being stuck in the rain." The ANBU who was talking sneezed. At that moment, a building a few hundred feet away blew up. The two ANBU stared at it in amazement.

"Did I do that?"

"Woah. C'mon, we need to get over there and help put out the fire." The two ANBU, who we can now safely classify as idiots, headed over, allowing the group to sneak to the door.

"Nice work Link, Arren." The two smirked. Link had given Arren a couple of his regular bombs, and Arren had placed them in the building, lit the fuses, and used his high speed to get back to the group.

Kisame slowly nudged the door open. He shook his head. "The most important building in the whole town doesn't even have a lock on it. I said a hundred times, we need to get a lock on the door."

He shoved it open, smashing it into the tow Ame shinobi who were rushing forward. Both fell unconscious, while Kisame just smiled.

"Honey, I'm home." He said jokingly.

"Welcome back."

The entire group froze, as the saw the remainder of Akatsuki, along with several Ame ANBU. Arren just sighed.

"Looks like the infiltration plan didn't work. Oh, well, stealth was never really my thing anyways." His nature armor formed around him, as he slid into his stance. Pein just looked at them all.

"You all must be very confident if it's just you against us." He said, his bodies appearing with him. Now, a woman with short, done up orange hair had joined the group, replacing the body Naruto had trashed in his fight with Pein. Naruto glanced at all of them.

"You guys remember the plan?"

"Course." Arren said, looking over the enemies. "Still, there's a few more of them than we planned. Maybe I should-."

Suddenly, Haiya appeared next to the warrior. His overcoat was gone, replaced by a black chainmail vest, and black chainmail pants over his regular ones. He carried a bastard sword in his left hand, and a battle ax in his right. But strangely enough, he also was balancing a bastard sword on his right foot, and another battle ax on his left.

(A/N: Reminds me of Killerbee, except different.)

"Maybe we should help." The demon finished, as Onbin appeared next to Eflower. She had changed into a gold colored jumpsuit, and wielded a pair of bladed tonfa's. She smiled at Eflower.

Arren smiled at his friend. "You know you'll be limited to taijutsu? Most of your guy's power is still locked away. Still, you can take them, huh Speedy?"

"That I can kid. That I can."

Naruto glanced at them, then turned as Daini appeared next to him. She was wearing her shirt and pants, and was clutching a glaive in one hand.

(A/N: A glaive has s hort pole with a curved blade on it, excellent for combat work. Some glaive's, like Daini's, have long poles though. Just for a better description.)

She smiled at Naruto. "You didn't think I'd let you have all the fun? We'll keep the ANBU. off you guys."

"_HEY! DID YOU BOZOS FORGET US STANDING HERE!_" Zetsu's dark side yelled out.

"As if." Arren said, looking at the freaky missing grass nin. "As for calling us bozo's..." Arren prepared to charge forward, and attack. But the green clad hero beat him to it, launching an arrow with a exploding tag attached. The bomb blew up, scattering the Akatsuki and their ninja's. Link jumped forward, punching Zetsu in the face.

_Link vs Zetsu_

Zetsu staggered back, as Link pulled out his sword and shield.

"That boy hit's hard."

"_But not hard enough._" Link sweat dropped.

"Well, this is interesting. Now, can we fight?"

"If that's what you want." Zetsu said, and suddenly, vines erupted out of the ground, and flew at Naruto. He began slashing at them, slicing them up as he advanced. Zetsu performed more hand signs, and more vines appeared, but some grew flowers, which broke off, and started whirling like shuriken. Link stopped as he stared at the revolving flowers.

"Nice trick. Meet mine." Link pulled out the Gale Boomerang, and threw it. It blew right through the hovering flowers, sent them flying with it's power over the wind. Link grabbed the boomerang, as the last flower hit the ground. Zetsu cursed.

"This boy is more powerful than expected."

"_So what? Let's eat him!_" Zetsu lunged forward, his venus fly trap growth opening wide to grab Link. Link jumped back, swinging the master sword in a side slash. It cut into the plant growth, cutting through a couple of the "teeth". Zetsu snarled in fury.

"_That's it!_" He yelled, as he bit his thumb, and slammed his hand on the ground. There was a poof, and two golem looking creatures made of bark, grass, and dirt appeared. Link stepped back.

"Why do I always get the monsters?" He asked, as the golems charged.

_Kisame and Hinata vs Konan_

Konan had moved to attack Link, only to be stopped as Samehada slammed in front of her. She turned as Kisame pulled his sword back to his shoulder.

"I have to ask. You're beautiful, smart, and dangerous. So why are you hanging around a deranged idiot like Pein?"

Konan snarled. "He is precious to me. And since you dared insult him, and his dream by betraying us, I'll kill you."

She launched several paper shuriken, only for them to get swatted out of the air by a staff. Hinata took up a ready stance next to Kisame.

"He's not you only opponent." She said. Konan shrugged.

"Doesn't matter to me. Let's begin." And with that, two paper wings formed on her back, and she flew into the air. Kisame and Hinata followed her with their eyes.

"Things just got harder." Kisame said, as he began going through hand signs. "**Water style, Water Wave Explosion!**"

A huge amount of water exploded through the ground, and pooled around them. Hinata and Kisame used chakra in their feet to stay on top of it, as they looked up at Konan. Hinata nodded. "My turn. **Water Style, Water Gatling Jutsu!**" She began to form water in front of her, which began shooting at Konan in small rapid projectiles. Konan dodge most of them, but a few ripped through her wings. She glared at them, as she began her own hand signs.

"**Paper Senbon Barrage!**" Several dozen pieces of paper dispersed from her, and turned into paper senbon needles, which she launched at them. Kisame managed to create a water shield in time to block the senbon. However, several of the senbon needles blasted through, and hit Kisame. He grunted as he pulled them out.

"You enhanced them with chakra, didn't you?" Konan just sneered.

"Did you really believe you could beat Pein's angel?" Kisame sweat dropped at her statement.

"I take it back. You're a deranged, origami wielding psycho."

Konan yelled in fury before unleashing a furious barrage of paper shuriken at the two.

_The Biju's vs ANBU_

Haiya charged at the ANBU, leaping through the smoke created by Link's exploding arrow. The demon could see the elite ninja a lot easier than they could see him. And he used it to his advantage. He leapt through the smoke, slicing right through one's neck with his neck.

"One down, several to go." The hybrid biju said, as jumped into the air, dodging a volley of shuriken. He raised his upper sword, barely deflecting a kunai in time. The ninja knife was followed by several others. Cursing, the demon was able to deflect several of the thrown weapons. But two managed to slip past his guard, and hit him in the shoulders. As his feet hit the ground, the hybrid launched himself at the ANBU who attacked him. Said ninja raised a kunai in a futile attempt to defend his self. Haiya swung his ax down, splitting the knife in half, before the ax buried itself in his chest.

"And that makes two." The dmon said, as his foe fell. But then he heard a shout, twisting around to be confronted by a small squad of ANBU. And behind them was a giant water beast. "Oh damn." Haiya said as he looked at it. Then the beast attacked.

Onbin blocked a kunai with her left tonfa, before smacking the arm holding the kunai with the blunt side of her other one. The man screamed in pain, before Onbin slit his throat. Onbin twisted around, blocking a katana with her tonfa's in x formation. She pushed him back, and got into a ready position.

Daini swung her glaive in a wide arc, forcing her ANBU to dodge back. She smirked as she held her glaive at the ready.

"Is that all? Surely you big strong ANBU can take care of little old me?"

One of the ANBU roared, and charged forward. Daini blocked his kunai to the side, smacked his back with the shaft of her weapon, before stabbing him in the spine as he fell to the ground. She looked up as another ANBU leapt at her. She moved to one side, as the man's katana hit the ground. She swung up, with her glaive, knocking his katana into air. She then used her weapon as a prop, while grabbing the ANBU with her legs. The two spun in the air, landing on the ground. Daini kicked at his head, snapping his neck, before doing a back hand stand onto her feet. She found herself back to back with Onbin.

"Having fun?" She asked the eagle biju.

"Oh yeah. Loads."

"First one to ten buy's lunch?"

"You're on." Onbin smirked, as they took on their next to opponents.

_Arren and Eflower versus Pein_

"You ready?" Arren asked his girlfriend. The angel's response was a curt nod. Grinning, the warrior shouted. "Then let's unleash the fury!" Before he charged into the smoke. He emerged from the smoke next to the animal path of Pein, throwing a punch at the back of her head. Eflower ran after him, determined not to miss the fight.

Suddenly, the Human realm blocked Arren's punch, while the Asura realm launched multiple missiles at Eflower. Both Arren and Eflower raised their blades, ready to strike. But suddenly, they swapped places. The angel's blade came down at the Human realm's arm, while Arren cut through the missiles coming at him.

The Human realm pulled his arm back enough so that Eflower's blade only cut the skin, instead of taking the whole arm off. The Animal realm summoned a giant centipede with Rinnegan eyes and piercing's, just like the bodies of Pein. Meanwhile, the Deva realm, who was the body everyone had come to calling Pein, finished hand signs for a Water Jutsu. Water form the Kisame, Hinata, and Konan fight surged upwards in a tidal wave, that came crashing down at Arren and Eflower. The two warriors jumped upwards, just dodging the water. In the air, Arren made some hand signs, and bit his thumb, before slamming both hands on water. A cloud of smoke appeared, as Arren finished the summoning. The Six Path's of Pein watched impassively as the smoke cleared.

The summon was unlike anything seen before. It stood on two legs, which ended in big paws. The legs and upper torso were thick and strong, while the lower torso was thinner. The arms were quite longer than normal, in proportion to it's body. Each hand had a punching dagger with a knuckle duster grip. All over the torso of the summon were splattering's of orange scales. The head of the summon was a strange dragon/wolf hybrid, with orange scales and silver fur like the rest of the fur on his body. Arren stood on it's left shoulder, while Eflower stood on it's right.

Pein/Deva realm just cocked his head. "What kind of summon is that?"

Arren opened his mouth to answer, but the summon beat him to it. "One whose going to kill you for that!" It snapped, striking at the Deva realm. The blade went right through the body, and Deva realm fell.

_Naruto and Itachi vs Madara Uchiha_

Naruto leapt through the smoke cloud, striking at Madara. The Uchiha leapt back in a goofy fashion, waving his arms in the air.

"Why are you attacking Tobi? Tobi is a good boy! Tobi doesn't like mean blond ninja."

Naruto just sweat dropped fro a moment, before regaining his composure. "I know who you really are, Madara Uchiha."

Madara smirked behind his mask, as he became serious. "Well, that helps a bit then, doesn't it?"

Itachi came and stood next to Naruto. "Madara, under orders from the Godaime Hokage of Konoha, we are here to execute you as a traitor to Konoha."

Madara shook his head. "Itachi, Itachi, Itachi. You should know better. You couldn't beat Pein, so why do you think you can beat me?"

Itachi smiled. "Because I'm not alone, and I know your moves."

Madara just shrugged. "If you have a death wish. Let's take this somewhere else, shall we? I don't want to be distracted." With that, he turned and walked away. Itachi and Naruto followed.

_Back To A and E vs Pein_

"That was easy." Arren said, surprised the Deva realm had fallen so easily. Suddenly, the Hell realm appeared next to the fallen Deva realm, and placed a hand on the body. The Deva realm stood back up, looking at the summon.

"You are overconfident." He said, as the Animal realm's summon attacked Arren's, and wrapped itself around it.

"No." Arren said as he landed on the centipede, and stabbed it with his blades. It shrieked out as it leg go of Arren's summon. Arren smirked. "I'm just someone who will thrash the hell out of you!" He yelled as he jumped off the disappearing summon. Eflower and the summon joined him, and the three charged at the six bodies.

The Asura realm launched more missiles at them, while the Deva realm used the water from the tidal wave to launch water bullets at them.

The big dragon/wolf hybrid grunted in pain as he was hit by both attacks. The two smaller warriors dodged or blocked their attacks. All three kept charging forward. Arren got their first, and swept his blades sideways, one from the left, the other from the right. His target? The Asura realm. His blades were blocked by a sword held in the Human realm's hands. The blade snapped under the combined attacks, but Arren's attack was ruined by it. The human realm moved in front of the Asura realm, who launched more missiles at Arren from his head. Arren cursed as he jumped back. He was able to avoid damage from the explosions, but they knocked him back further. _How is the Human realm so fast?_ He thought. Arren was moving at top speed, but the human realm was beating him.

Deva launched another group of water bullets at Eflower, while the Hungry Ghost realm stood next to him.

Eflower dodged the water bullets as she formed her own hand signs. "**Water Style, Giant Vortex Jutsu!**" She yelled, using the very water the Deva realm had used in his attack against him. Suddenly, the Hungry Ghost realm appeared in front of the Deva realm, and sucked in all the water, absorbing the attack.

The summon leapt at the Anima and Hell realms, when the Asura turned towards him, while the Human realm kept Arren distracted. He launched several missiles at the summon. The wolf-dragon managed to dodge some of them, but a few hit, forcing the summon to retreat back to his summoning realm to heal his injuries.

Arren cursed as he jumped back. Eflower did the same thing. Arren glared at the six Pein's. Deva just stared back.

"You cannot match a god. I cannot be defeated by the likes of you."

"That's it. You want to act like Kami, I'll show you what happens to poser's." Arren said, as he created multiple nature clones. He turned to Eflower.

"Keep them off me for a few minute's. I'll take care of the rest." Eflower nodded, as Arren and four clones began creating a massive seal on the ground. Eflower and the other clones took up defensive positions in front of them.

Deva realm narrowed his eyes. "Whatever they are doing, I don't think it is wise to let them finish." The six Pein's charged forward.

Arren and his clones finished the last part of the seal, and sat around even intervals. They began channeling chakra into the seal, as they all began performing hand signs.

Eflower used her sword to block a kunai from Deva realm. Around her, the clone's were fighting valiantly to hold back the Pein's. But their numbers were thinning fast. From his spot around the seal, Arren landed on the hundredth hand sign, and nodded.

"I hope this works! He shouted, as he slammed his hand on the ground, along with the other clones. A bright, white light erupted from the middle of the seal, smashing through the roof. Grinning, Arren turned toward Pein and the others, as his clone's disappeared from nature chakra exhaustion.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boy and girl shinobi of all ages! I give you the one, the only, the all powerful Daishizen!"

* * *

**Arashen: Wait a minute! You're having him summon —!**

**AP:(covering Arashen's mouth with his hand) No spoiling things right now!**

**LR: Okay, this didn't turn out quite like I expected, but I promise that if this chapter didn't live up to expectations, then I will do everything I can to ensure that the Naruto/Itachi/Madara fight is the best there is.**

**RS: Relax. It's not the best, but it's okay.**

**AP: It was all right. I would have done a little more work if I had the room.**

**LR: My bad. I'm trying to keep chapters within 10-11 pages.**

**Arashen: I can't believe you're actually using that idea for Naruto.**

**LR: Well, someone had to use it. It was rusting away in my brain.**

**Naruto: Well, we'll see what it can do.**

**Okay, this may be the last chapter before Christmas, and I'm probably not getting on come Christmas Day. But if me and Allan get lucky, maybe we can have another chapter out before then. Wish us luck, and Merry Christmas! Oh, one last bit. twilhit dragon god has an OC, if anyone's interested or needs an OC for their stories. I would take it, but all my current stories are covered for major OCs.**


	22. Even A God King Bleeds Part 2

**For those of you who are wondering, the title of this two part arc does have to do with 300, and I'm using it in comparison to Pein, or Pain, whatever he calls himself, as well as Madara.**

**For those of you who have said that Pein is weaker than he is, I truly apologize, and in future fics where he actually fights, I'll try to up his abilities, as well as start calling him Pain. This one, I'm going to stick to how he is.**

**Now, on we go.**

**RS: So, what do you want for Christmas?**

**LR: I know most of what I'm getting.**

**RS: WHAT?!**

**LR: Yeah, the parents kept asking me if they were getting the right stuff. It kinda ruins the surprise, but oh well.**

**AP: Lucky.**

**Naruto: Tell me about it.**

**RS: What about the readers?**

**LR: Huh? Oh come on, like they want to share that with all of us.**

**RS: Meanie!**

**LR: Fine. My sister want's to know what all of you are hoping for this Christmas. You can answer, or not, doesn't matter to me.**

**RS: Answer! Or face my wrath!**

**LR: SHUT UP! (Bonks RS on the head.)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or anything else that anyone else has seen.

* * *

**Chapter 22**

**Even A God King Bleeds Part 2**

Link cursed as he dodged another strike from the golems. He could feel the sweat starting to run down his body. So far, he had no chance to strike back against either one of them, simply because they were able to keep him occupied, while the other prepared to strike.

Link swung under another one's attack, before he finally thought of a plan. He concentrated on the new power coursing through his body, until he felt it rise up. Then he opened his eye's.

"FARORE'S WIND!" Suddenly, he teleported a short distance away from the tree golems. The both slowly turned to wards where he popped up, only to see him drawing a bow with an exploding tag arrow on it.

"Time to make some fertilizer." He said, as he launched the arrow. It exploded in between the golems, ripping off the limbs closest to the explosion, and catching them on fire. With a poof, they both disappeared. Link turned, only to get slammed back by a vine Zetsu sent at him. Link "oofed" as he went crashing into the ground, before rolling onto his feet.

Zetsu advanced, vines swirling and twisting around him. "It's time to end this....."

"_..... so I may feat on your flesh!_" Zetsu said, as he came closer. The vines reared up, ready to strike.

Link quickly pulled out the twin axes he had picked up in Konoha. "Here goes nothing." He said, as the vines struck. He concentrated on the new attack he had been working on with Tenten's help.

_**Flashback**_

_Link dropped to the ground, slightly exhausted, but happy. Teten looked at the severed target dummies scattered everywhere._

_Okay, that was freaking awesome!" She shouted, as Link pulled himself up. Link just smiled at her, as she kept going on about the attack. Finally she calmed down, and asked, "What are you going to call it?"_

"_I think I'll call it-."_

_**Flashback ends.**_

"TWIN REAVING SCYTHES!" Link yelled, as he began spinning with both axes in hand. The vines were hacked to pieces, as Link continued spinning. He finally stopped, crouched with one ax held low in front of him, and the other high and behind.

Both of Zetsu's personality cursed, as Link slowly stood up, only to drop to a knee in exhaustion. The move required a lot to pull off, and Link still didn't have it down perfectly.

Zetsu chuckled as he came closer, and knocked the axes from Link's hands, as he tried to raise them. He grabbed Link and lifted him up.

"_Look's like it's time to feast._" Zetsu's dark half said. He was preparing to bite into Link, when Link shoved a fist into his face.

"Eat this." He whispered, before yelling, "DIN'S FIRE!"

Zetsu's face erupted into flames, followed by his body. He dropped Link as he ran around, screaming in pain, before falling over and dying. Link panted as he raised his head from where he lay. "Got ya." He said, before passing out.

_Kisame and Hinata versus Konan_

Hinata grunted as she held her staff over her head, preventing a very sharp, paper blade from killing her. Konan was still in the air, but she had summoned several blades out of paper, which whirled around her, and attacked on their own.

Nearby, Kisame fought several of the blades, which were using hit and run tactics against him. HE growled as he swung around, only to get attacked from behind. Finally, he raised his sword high, shouting "**Samehada Shockwave!**" He slammed his sword down into the water around him, causing it to splash up in a tidal/shock wave of water. The paper blades aroud him were soaked through, losing their shapes and falling apart. Kisame grunted as he lifted his sword back up.

"That's better." He muttered, as he looked up at Konan. "Will you stop being a coward and get down here?!"

Konan just remained stoic, until a kunai flew at her. She closed her wings around her, and the kunai struck into one. Suddenly, the tag on the end of it blew up, destroying the wing. Konan fell to the ground, barely managing to land on her feet. She looked at Hinata, who had thrown the kunai after taking down the blade that had attacked her.

Hinata was panting, clutching a slash mark across her side, as she leaned on her staff for support. Kisame was also panting, with several slash marks across his body. Konan seemed barely phased.

"Tired all ready? Kisame, you were famous for your chakra reserves. What's wrong?"

Kisame growled, and was about to rush forward, when Hinata stopped him with her staff.

"Kisame-sama, we need a plan. And I have one. Do you think you could get some water down to where she's standing?"

Kisame nodded. "I'll try. **Water Style, Water Explosion Jutsu!**" A torrent of water erupted from his mouth, and ran straight towards Konan. She leapt in the air, smirking as she landed on the now still water.

"And what was that supposed to do?"

"This! **Lightning style, Lightning fist jutsu!**" Hinata's hands become covered in Lightning, and she struck down at the water leading to Konan. Konan's eyes widened as the lightning sped towards her, and she began to disperse into paper. Hinata cursed as the lightning attack only hit a few pieces of paper that had been Konan, and burned them up. Konan reformed on dry ground.

"A good move, but not fast enough. It is time for you to die." She suddenly turned into paper again, and began swirling around Kisame and Hinata. The paper began to form into hundreds of paper shuriken. Konan's voice came ut from the swarm of paper weapons.

"Any last words?"

"Yeah." Kisame said. "Pein is an idiot with a limp dick."

Konan growled before launching her attacks. Suddenly Kisame smirked as he straightened up. "**Water style, Water Wall Jutsu!**" A wall of water sprung up from the ground, and surrounded Hinata and Kisame. The paper shuriken were deflected, or captured by the water wall. More hovered around them, until Kisame placed his hands on the wall, and sent it shooting outwards, hitting all the shurikens, and soaking them. Konan fell to the ground, soaking wet. Before she could react, Hinata was on her, hitting her chakra points, shutting down Konan's chakra system. Konan gasped in pain, as Kisame came over.

"This can't be happening." She whispered, until Kisame bonked her on the head with his fist.

"Well, that's that." Kisame said. Hinata managed a painful grin, as she sat down to tend to her wound. Kisame joined her. "Let's get you patched up, then we can go look for your blond gaki."

Hinata mocked glared at him, before smiling. "He may be a gaki, but he's my gaki."

(A/N: I'm not sure, but I think that's brat, for those of you who didn't know.)

_Haiya, Onbin, and Daini vs ANBU_

Daini smirked as she ran another ANBU through with her glaive. Behind her, she heard Onbin grunt as she fought another enemy. "I've got seven. How about you?"

Onbin grunted in satisfaction as she slew her opponent. "I'm on nine."

"What?! I won't have some high flying demoness out scoring me." Daini said, as she blocked another attack, and backhanded the ANBU who she was fighting.

Haiya grunted as he dodged another water blast from the water creature he was fighting. His mind raced as he saw it reading another attack.

_How do I take it down? I can't get near enough, and even if I did, my weapons wouldn't work on it._" He suddenly noticed the squad of ANBU that had created the water monster were just standing there, their hands still held in their last hand signs.

"That's it." He whispered, as he rolled away from another water blast. He continued to dodge each attack, slowly moving around the monster, which kept advancing and turning to attack Haiya. Haiya smirked.

_Just a little more... got it!_ He mentally yelled, as he rolled in between the ANBU and their creation. The monster attacked again, and Haiya somersaulted away. The water hit the ANBU squad, wiping them, and the monster out. Haiya stood up.

"That's seven for me." He smirked, only to hear a sound behind him. Before he could turn, he felt lancing pain in his back. He fell to the ground, as an ANBu stood over him, holding a bloody kunai.

"I didn't know demon's could bleed. Now let's see if you can die." He was about to stab Haiya, when an arm with a tonfa encircled his neck. Onbin slit his throat, and broke his neck at the same time, before dropping next to Haiya.

"Hang on!" Onbin yelled, as she began pulling out some medical supplies from the ANBU corpse. Haiya weakly grinned over his shoulder.

"I didn't know you cared so much."

"Just shut up and save your strength." Onbin said, as she began dressing the wound. Daini stood over them, swinging her glaive left, right, and overhead.

"Hurry up! I can't hold them off forever!" She yelled. Onbin just kept working, securing a bandage around the wound. She nodded as she grabbed her tonfa and got back up.

"That will have to do for now. How many left?"

"A few." Daini said, as she skewered another ANBU onto her weapon. Onbin stopped an ANBU who was trying to get around behind Daini, and faced off against him. Haiya slowly struggled into a sitting position, and lashed out with both battle axes in his hands now. He sheared through enemy legs, and finished them as they fell. Together, the trio of demons managed to finish the ANBU off. Daini panted as she leaned on her glaive.

"Well, that was some workout. Final score?"

Onbin smirked. "I got to ten first. 16 in the end."

Daini smirked. "Awww man, I got 16 too."

"18." Haiya said from the ground. The two demoness looked at him. "What?!" They both yelled.

Haiya smirked. "18. I got a few that weren't watching the ground when they should. Now, can we go somewhere a little safer, and finish looking at this wound?"

Onbin and Daini dragged him over to the wall. Hinata and Kisame had finished bandaging their own wounds, and had dragged Link to the same wall. It was at this moment that Arren finished their summoning.

_Arren and Eflower vs the limp dick idiot- I mean Pein_

The Deva realm stared at the summon, surprise on his face. Then his normal stoic look returned. "An impressive illusion, but nothing more." He said simply.

"Oh please, she's no illusion." Arren said, as he dropped to one knee, panting. "Do you have any idea what it takes to summon her? Hardly anyone has nature chakra, so few can even attempt to summon her, and even fewer have a strong enough connection to even think about summoning her.. Seventy-five percent of the people who try fail. And out of the remaining twenty-five, another seventy five percent succeed, but die from the attempt. And even if you succeed, Daishizen is well know for being unpredictable. You never know if she will answer, and if she does, you can never control her. She does what she wants, nothing more, nothing less."

(A/N: For those of you who are wondering, Allan find out from a Japanese expert that Daishizen is Mother Nature. That's right, Arren summoned Mother FREAKING Nature. No one ever thought of that one, even in the all powerful Naruto fanfics.)

Pein's face once again registered shock, and for the first time in a while, fear. Arren smirked.

"So, you believe me now?" He said as he dropped to his second knee. Eflower rushed over to him, but he held her off for a moment. "So what do you intend to do now?"

"It matters not. I am a god, and nothing you can do can hurt me." Pein said, as his bodies readied to attack. Arren snorted as he struggled to his feet with Eflower's help.

"You, a god? Get real Pein. There is only one Kami, and it certainly isn't you. Don't you know what happens to people who proclaim themselves divinity?"

Pein just shrugged off Arren's words, and began his attack on Daishizen. The Animal realm summoned a giant chameleon, which attacked, along with several missiles from the Asura realm, and a number of shuriken, kunai, and jutsu's.

Daishizen remained impassive as the attacks merely glanced off the blue pillar of energy that she was suspended in. The pillar had white streaks on it, which matched her clothes and hair, all of which were pure white. Her eye's remained closed the entire time. Pein snarled, as all his bodies ceased their attacks.

"I never expected to have to use this. This is one of my two most powerful attacks."

(A/N: Over powered much? The guy freaking devastated Konoha with some gravity attack.)

His bodies, except the Deva realm, dropped to the floor, as he gathered chakra into him. Suddenly, a five colored sphere of energy appeared in his hands. He looked at the summon, before unleashing the full fury of an attack made up of all the elements controlled by the Rinnegan. The attack crashed against the energy around Daishizen, creating a huge smoke cloud.

"And did you really expect that to hurt her?" Arren said, as the smoke cleared. Daishizen was still there, undeterred by the attack.

"That's.... that's impossible!" Pein shouted, acting like a human for the first time.

"Nothing is impossible." Daishizen spoke, for the first time in this fight. She slowly opened her eyes. They were the color of the brightest sky. "I now see why I was summoned. It grieves me every time a life is taken. But without death, life cannot exist, for that is the way of nature. A way that even I, the embodiment of nature, cannot change."

After saying that, she closed her eyes. There was a moment's silence. Suddenly, the eye's flashed open. "Begone!" She intoned, as a wave of energy erupted from her. Arren and Eflower were unharmed. But the wave of energy vaporized Pein, and his bodies. It blasted Konan's unconscious body against a wall, and continued onward. The dozens of Ame shinobi outside the tower were knocked off their feet, as the wave of energy lost power as it traveled onward. Eventually, it completely dissipated. Daishizen closed her eyes.

"It is done." With that, the summon disappeared. Peace slowly fell over the hall.

"I'm glad that's over." Arren panted out. He laid out on his back, looking up at the hole that had appeared above where Daishizen had been summoned. _I wonder how Naruto and Itachi are doing?_

_Naruto and Itachi vs Madara_

The former head of the Uchiha led Naruto and Itachi to a massive open room. He stopped at one end, and smirked back at both of them.

"This is one of my personal training areas. It is here where I practice some of my more.... "destructive" abilities."

Naruto settled into a fighting stance. "So, are we going to fight, or just yap all day?" Itachi got into his own stance. Madara just laughed at the two of them.

"Please. Do you think you can hurt me? Pein served me! You are nothing but gnat's compared to my power!" He said, ripping the mask away, and settling into his own fighting stance. The three of them just stood there, until Naruto made the first move. He charged forward, and struck at Madara. Madara shifted his head to one side, and naruo's punch sailed harmlessly past. He suddenly planted a fist into Naruto's gut, sending Naruto flying back. Naruto barely managed to land on his feet, holding his gut.

_Man, that hurt._ Naruto looked up to see Itachi attacking. He was doing slightly better, but he still couldn't hit Madara. He kicked at Madara, only for his foot to be caught. Madara lifted Itachi up, and spun him around and around. He threw Itachi into a wall, before turning back to Naruto, who had summoned fifty shadow clones. The clones all drew their Uzu Izou, before charging forward. Madara just laughed, as he began to fight them in hand to hand.

Naruto frowned at the memories he was receiving. It seemed that even though some of his clones were scoring hits, none of them even seemed to affect Madara. Naruto kept watching, as his clones were wiped out. When the last one poofed out of existence, Madara looked as well as he did when they started fighting. Naruto just gaped in amazement.

"How?"

"It's his abilities. He has a time distortion jutsu, which causes enemy attacks to phase through him." Itachi said, as he moved next to Naruto. Naruto glanced at Itachi, as Madara smirked.

"That's right. Do you think you can hit me?" Naruto began charging a Rasengan.

"Let's find out!" He shouted, as he charged forward. He thrust the attack outward, only for it to go right through Madara. He crashed into the ground, creating a crater with the Rasengan. Madara just chuckled.

"Sorry. No good." He stiffened as a katana streaked at his neck. It went straight through him as well. He turned to smirk at Itachi.

"Really, a sword? Is that all?" He kicked Itachi in the chest, sending him flying. Naruto attacked at that moment, and actually managed to grab Madara's leg. The Uchiha looked down, grabbed Naruto, and through him to Itachi.

The two slowly got to their feet. Naruto whispered to Itachi. "I actually got him for a second. I think we can hit him. Use a fireball on him."

Itachi nodded, and made hand signs, ending on Tiger. "**Fire Style, Grand Fireball Jutsu!**" He unleashed a massive fire ball at Madara, who smirked as he phased again. The fireball went right through him. But as his vision cleared, he was greeted by Naruto with another swirling sphere of chakra.

"**RASENGAN!**" He yelled, driving the jutsu into Madara. Madara crashed into the wall behind him, as Naruto panted lightly.

"That's what I though. You need a few seconds after phasing to allow your body to re-align, don't you?"

(A/N: No idea. I just don't like him being able to dodge every attack like that.)

Madara growled, as he stood back up from the wall. "Very good. You found the one weakness of my jutsu." He slwoly shrugged off the torn Akatsuki cloak. Underneath, he wore a black jumpsuit, with two katana's sheathed at his side. He unsheathed both of them. Naruto unsheathed Uzu IZou, while Itachi retook his stance with his won. The three of them looked at each other, before attacking.

Naruto blocked a strike at his side, while Itachi slashed from the ground up. Madara blocked the attack, and kicked Itachi away. He swung his now free katana at Naruto, who ducked, only to get kneed in the face. He flipped back, landing on his feet. Madara swung both swords from over head, only to be blocked by Itachi. Itachi pushed Madara back, as Naruto retook his position. Madara smirked, and suddenly, his swords burst into flames. He swung at Itachi, who blocked, only for his blade to be melted. Itachi jumped back, as Madara smirked.

"A little upgrade of the **Dragon Fire Jutsu. **Hot enough to melt through steel." He swung again at Naruto, who dodged out of the way. He could feel the heat coming off the swords. He backed away as Madara continued to attack. Finally, Madara kicked him back.

"Pathetic. You're the jinchuuriki of the all might Kyuubi. I expected more." He leaned closer. "I'll enjoy making her scream as I extract her from you."

Naruto slowly looked up, rage contorting his features. He let out a roar, as Daini's chakra flared around him, sending Madara flying. Madara crashed into the ground. He stood up to see Naruto creating a shadow clone, while red chakra flared around him.

"Congratulations, Madara-teme. You'll be the first enemy in a few hundred years to see this technique."

Both Naruto's bit their thumbs, and ran through different hand sign's. They slammed their hands on the ground, shouting "**Summoning Jutsu!**"

Two poofs of smoke appeared, and cleared to reveal a large green dragon, and a swan sized phoenix. The real Naruto stood in front of them, while the clone jumped away. The dragon glanced at the phoenix, before looking at Naruto.

"**So, you're using that technique, young one?**"

Naruto nodded. "Let's do it!" With a roar and a shrill, the phoenix and dragon launched into the air. Naruto finished a new set of hand signs.

"**Summon Technique, Merger Jutsu!**" The dragon and phoenix both burst into flames, before converging on was engulfed in flames for several moments, until it suddenly cleared. Madara and Itachi both gasped at what they saw.

Naruto stood there, covered in green samurai armor that looked like it was made from scales. Golden dragons were engraved onto his vambraces, greaves, and breastplate. A dragonic looking helmet covered the top and sides of his head, and a dragon face mask covered the lower part of his face. In his right hand, he held a katana that had a flame red blade, with a phoenix hilt guard, and orange and red wrapped hilt. The blade glowed for a second, before bursting into flames. Naruto held it out to Madara.

"Let's go." He leaped forward, his sword crashing against both of Madara's. Madara began to sweat from the intensity of the heat of Naruo's phoenix blade.

Itachi just backed away from the fight. He had to de-activate his Sharingan, because of the shear power radiating off of Naruto. _Naruto, how strong have you become?_

Naruto kicked Madara away, before sweeping low. Madara jumped over him, blocking an attack from Naruto. He swung around, swinging one sword at Naruto's blade, while the other went for his arm. Naruto blocked the one sword, but the other got through, and hit the vambrace. It pinged off, the blade cracking as the flames died. Naruto smirked at Madara's face.

"Dragon hide. Very little can pierce it. Certainly not some sword wreathed in human made dragon fire." He punched Madara in the mouth, sending the Uchiha flying. Naruto advanced on him.

"You're going to pay for everything you've done." He said. Madara slowly looked up, his eye's in Mangekyou mode. He shook his head.

"No. I will never die." He roared out, as power rose from the ring on his finger. It infused in him, and he suddenly stood up, his body morphing. His black hair grew, and turned blood red. His body began to grow muscles, until he was ripped beyond belief. His eyes became midnight black, as did his skin. His nails grew long, and so did his teeth. And behind him grew five tails of different animals. He smirked.

"I've drawn on the power of the biju who have been sealed away. The power of five biju, against your one." He suddenly disappeared, reappearing as he drove a fist into Naruto's face. Naruto went flying into the wall, as he heard both the dragon and phoenix grunt in pain.

"**Young one, his power is great. Too great.**"

"_I don't know how much of this we can stand._"

Naruto was about to respond, when Madara grabbed him, and threw him again. Naruto rolled across the ground, and got onto his feet, only to be pummeled by feet and fist's. He was slammed into the ground, face down. Slowly, Naruto got onto his feet and hands. Madara slowly came at him.

"Did you really think you could beat me? I am all powerful. I am Madara Uchiha! I am a god and king among these pathetic mortals!"

He stood over Naruto, who was trying to get up. "You can't win. When I have the last biju in my possession, I will go back to Konoha, and destroy it. And I'll make sure to kill everyone you care about in a very slow and painful manner."

Naruto closed his eyes. _I... I can't match his power. How.... how can I protect my home? _

"_Don't ever give up my son."_

_(A/N: For those of you who don't know, that was a quote from Star Fox 64. I don't own the Star Fox series, but I do own a copy of the game, on a still working Nintendo 64. BEAT THAT!)_

Naruto opened his eyes, seeing four figures before him. Before him stood the Shodai, Nidaime, Sandaime, and Yondaime Hokage. His eyes widened.

"Dad?"

Minato Namikaze smiled as he kneeled next to his son. "It is. Naruto, I'm so happy to see you." He hugged his son, before pulling away.

"You've really outdone what I expected of you."

Naruto smiled. "Thank you, father. But what are you all doing here?"

The Sandaime smiled. "You asked for our help."

"And here we are." The Nidaime said. The Shodai approached.

"You are the embodiment of the 'will of fire'. Many do not know it, but it is more than a will to protect all those you care about. The will of fire is actually an ability of old. For those who want to protect everyone, no matter what."

"Naruto, you have proven that all you care about is protecting others. Now, you know what you must do." The Sandaime spoke, his old face smiling. The Yondaime hugged his son again.

"I can't wait to see you again. I'm so sorry for what I did."

Naruto smiled, as he hugged his father. "It's okay dad. I forgive you."

The Yondaime nodded. "Go now, my son. Continue to become the hero I know you are."

There was a flash, and Naruto found himself back on the ground, with Madara reaching for him. Suddenly, he felt a hot flame race through his body.

"No. I won't let you hurt them." He said, as the flame grew. His skin began to feel like it was on fire. Smoke began to come off him, as he raised his head to look at Madara, who had hesitated. His blue eyes burned with a flame never before seen. Suddenly, flame sprung from all over Naruto's body. Madara jumped back as Naruto slowly stood up, wreathed in flames that didn't seem to harm him. Madara backed up in fear.

"What is this!?" He shouted.

"The will of fire." Naruto said, as flames continued to lick all over his body and armor. "It is more than a feeling, more than a will to protect those precious to you. It is a flame meant to end those who threaten innocent lives for their own gain."

The phoenix sword began to burn again, and more flame erupted from his body, coming off the dragon armor. Madara backed against a wall in fear as Naruto slowly removed the face mask. "Now, it is time for you to die. For the good of all free people." He held the phoenix sword in front of him, then began to twirl it in a circle. The fire raged even more, as he opened his mouth.

"**Fire Style, Dragon Flamethrower jutsu!**" He roared, before spewing flames from his mouth. The dragon fire, phoenix fire, and will of fire all combined with the flames from his jutsu, creating a roaring flame that surrounded the phoenix sword. He raised his high, before slashing downwards, unleashing the combined flames at Madara. "**FOUR FLAME INFERNO!**" He roared again, as the searing flames engulfed Madara. The Uchiha screamed in pain and fear, as his body erupted in flames, before disintegrating into nothing but ash. Naruto slowly lowered the sword.

"It is done." He whispered, as the flames died out around his body. Suddenly, he wavered, as the dragon and phoenix left him. The disappeared to the summon realm, leaving NAruto behind, who slowly sank to the floor. Before his head hit, Itachi caught him, and hoisted him up. Naruto weakly grinned up at him.

"Did we get him?"

"Yeah, you got him Naruto."

"Good. I'm going to take a nap now." Naruto's head dropped, leaving a sweat dropping Itachi.

"The boy wipes out an S-ranked ninja with a move no one can ever hope to master, and then says he's going to take a nap? Naruto Namikaze, you are a strange one." Itachi carried him away.

Haiya had finished being treated, and he and Onbin were busy talking, while Eflower checked on Arren. Kisame had tied Konan up, and was busy talking to Link about his Reaver attack, while Hinata and Daini waited for Naruto.

"Couldn't you just go back to the seal, and find out?" Hinata asked Daini.

"I could, but what if you guys get ambushed? So far, me, Onbin, and Eflower are the only one's fully combat ready. Link and Arren are exhausted, while you, Kisame, and Haiya are all wounded. I'm needed here."

Hinata nodded, as she turned back. Suddenly, Itachi appeared, carrying Naruto. Hinata and Daini rushed forward.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata shouted, as she reached him. She checked him over, while Itachi reassured her.

"He's fine. He just needs rest." itachi said, as he carried Naruto over to Arren ad the others. Arren struggled to a sitting position.

"What happened?"

"Naruto used some type of merger with a dragon and phoenix summon. Then he took it a step further."

"Step further? What do you mean, step further? You can't go much further with that jutsu than he did."

"I don't know what he did, but he was engulfed in flames that came off his own body."

Arren looked down at his sleeping cousin.

"Cuz, what have you been hiding from me?"

Itachi sighed. "What about the Ame shinobi?"

"They charged in here after I took down Pein, with some help. They backed off when they found Konan tied up, and their 'god' no where to be found. I don't think they'll be bothering us."

Itachi nodded. "Right. I'm taking over until Naruto-sama is awake. For now, we hold here, until you and Link-san are ready for travel."

Arren nodded, "You heard the man! Let's hunker down!"

Hinata gently pulled Naruto's head onto her lap. She took a cloth, and wet it with some water, before placing it on his forehead. Then she gently kissed him. "You did it again Naruto-kun. You did it again."

And almost as if he could hear her, Naruto smiled.

* * *

**LR: That's a wrap! So, what did you all think of my armor?**

**Everyone: ....... *cricket chrip***

**LR: (depressed) It wasn't that bad, was it?**

**Naruto: That.... was.... TOTALLY AWESOME!**

**RS: SWEET!**

**Arashen: WICKED!**

**Link: 0.o *faints***

**AP: It was all right, but you have to remember that fire can be a little too destructive.**

**LR: Well, glad you guys liked it. Well, this is my last chapter for a few days. I'm not getting on Thursday, as it's Christmas Day, and Saturday, I'll probably be gone, so I can't work again till about Friday and Sunday.**

**Like I said, the title was reference from 300, which I do not own, and was referring to Pein and Madara. Both thought themselves "god kings", and both bled. Or in this case, vaporized and burned into itty bitty ashes. **

**Anyways, Merry Christmas, and this is my Christmas present to all of you.**


	23. Hero's Welcome, Evil Moves

**Okay, Allan wanted me to do a little warning at the beginning here.** **The use of fire in Naruto is cool ands stuff, but fire is no laughing matter. Allan himself experienced his house getting smoked out bad. So just remember to be careful with fire, as it is very dangerous.**

**This is a reminder from your local Leaf Ranger and Allan Pike. Feline Lone wolf (that's actually his new profile name). Now on to the before story shenanigans.**

**RS: Shenanigans?**

**LR: What?**

**Naruto: You said shenanigans. No one says that.**

**LR: Well I did. Got a problem?**

**Arashen: Please don't piss him off, his throat hurts.**

**AP: So, how much of the story is left?**

**LR: Not much. Just Ganondork. I'd say I have about 3-6 chapters worth left for the story line. Then either an epilogue chapter, or the epilogue added to the last chapter. We'll see.**

**Arren: So we're almost done?**

**LR: Yeah. But don't worry. You and Eflower get to pop up in a couple more of my stories. **

**Naruto: So what's next?**

**LR: The story I have been waiting to write, ever since I came up with the idea. The most awesome, and hopefully, never before used idea ever! WIZARD OF KITSUNE, a NarutoxLord of the Rings crossover! (Has assumed a heroic stance, with a blazing sun behind him)**

**Everyone:....... *cricket chirp***

**LR: (face plants, with huge anime sweat drop on his head) I hate all of you.**

**AP: You know, it's going to feel so weird betaing a story without Arren and E in it. Man, I wish they were in all of them. But Leafie's a little paranoid about OC's. Oh, and I wanted to add something to my pen name, but I, uh..... kinda reaqched my size limit.**

**LR: I'M NOT PARANOID! The fact is that Arren and Eflower don't necessarily match up for some of my stories, or I'm not using an OC in them. At least, not good guy OC's. Besdie's, you get to have them in at least three of my stories, counting this one. Now, let's get on..... on..... ACHOO! Dang cold. **

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in here, except the story idea, and the jutsu's I've created. Also, the Summon merger armor? I had no idea it was actually real. Really, it's off of something called Legend of Dragons. Go figure. I don't own that either.

* * *

**Chapter 23**

**Hero's Welcome, Evil Moves**

Naruto groaned, as he slowly opened his eyes. Everything was slightly blurry, and all he really could see was darkness. He blinked a few times, and his vision began to clear. What he had taken for darkness was the ceiling of his tent. He slowly sat up, cracking and popping the joints in his neck. He blinked a few more times, and looked around.

_Okay..... where am I?_

"_About seven miles past the border between Rain and Fire Country._" Daini said in his head. He went inwards, and found Daini sitting in an easy chair in her "home", reading a magazine. He smirked as he read one of the main topics off the front.

"_How to look good for that special demon?_ Nee-chan, are you thinking about someone? Perhaps a someone who could make a glass sculpture of you?"

Daini shoved the magazine away. "I was just looking for some fur care tips." Then she smiled, as she jumped up and hugged him. "It's good to see you amongst the conscious again."

"It's good to be conscious again. What happened while me and Itachi took out Madara?"

"Well, me, Onbin and Haiya wiped out all those Anbu, but Haiya got hit. Kisame and Hinata managed to knock out Konan, and we're taking her back to Konoha for safe keeping. She seems rather.... emotionless, after learning about Pein's death."

Naruto nodded. "So, Arren and Eflower pulled it off. Are they okay?"

Daini nodded. "Arren's still not a hundred percent. That summoning he did really took a lot out of him. But he should be up and running at full in a couple of days."

Naruto nodded. "Well, I guess I've kept everyone waiting long enough. Shall we?"

Naruto opened his eyes, and slipped out of his sleeping bag, while Daini poofed next to him. They slipped out of the tent, causing all conversation around the campfire to cease. Then Hinata jumped up, and ran into Naruto's arms. Naruto held her close, feeling Hinata bury her head in his chest. She looked up, smiling.

"I'm glad you're finally awake."

"Me too." Naruto leaned down, and kissed her. Then he looked up at the rest of the group. Itachi and Kisame had been talking to each other, comparing their fights to each others. Arren and Eflower had been sitting near the fire. To be precise, Arren was sitting near the fire, while Eflower was on his lap, her head resting on his shoulder. Link had been talking to Haiya and Onbin about the respective fighting style's with weapons. Naruto looked around, and noticing someone missing, asked, "Where's the prisoner?"

Itachi nodded to the tree behind him. Konan was tied to it with ninja wire, with chakra sealing shackles on her wrists. Naruto nodded once, before joining the group. Link passed him a plate of food, with a bowl of ramen. Naruto's eyes lit up, and he reached for the bowl first. Hinata giggled as Naruto inhaled the ramen at inhuman speed. "I'm glad you liked it. I made it special, in case you woke up."

Naruto, who had almost finished the ramen, stopped, and swallowed the mouthful he had. He gently grabbed some of the noddles with his chopsticks, and held them up to her. She blushed, but gladly let him feed it to her. He smiled as he finished the ramen. "You make some pretty good ramen, Hina-hime. Ichiraku might have to live off Itachi's visit's."

Hinata blushed even more, but smiled, as Naruto began eating the other food. As he finished, he noticed Konan glance up, before looking back down. He turned to the others.

"Did anyone feed her?"

Kisame snorted. "We tried, but she refused. Either because we were 'traitors', we killed 'Pein-sama', or she just doesn't want to eat."

Naruto nodded, as he dished up a second plate of food. He approached Konan, and crouched down in front of her. She didn't look up as he studied her. He offered her food, only for her to turn her head away. Naruto sighed.

"You need to eat. Even prisoners eat."

"I'm not hungry." She said, even as her stomach rumbled. Naruto sighed, as he sat down.

"So you just want to starve to death?"

"I welcome death, since I have no purpose now." Naruto was suddenly assaulted by memories of a boy who had asked Naruto to kill him, because he had no purpose as a "broken tool".

"I ran into someone like that once. My first mission out of Konoha. We ran into a rogue ninja, who had a young apprentice with him. The ninja treated the kid like a tool, and the boy believe that. When I defeated him, he begged me to kill him, because ho could no longer be of use to his precious person. That's how you fell now, right? Because Pein is gone?"

Konan looked up in surprise, as Naruto continued. "Why did you serve him?"

"He once was one of my two best friends. The only people I had left in the world. I.... I couldn't bear to be alone again. That is why I served him."

"Even when some of the things he did went against what you believe to be right?"

Konan nodded. "I thought, when we have peace in the world, then he would return to the boy I knew. Then, everything would be all right. That's what we wanted. Peace."

Naruto shook his head. "I can understand that. It's something I want as well. But.... you can't achieve peace at the end of a sword."

"There is no other way." Konan said, looking up. Naruto shook his head.

"Yes there are. If you force other's into peace, there will be resentment, and eventually, open rebellion. You cannot force peace. But if you work with others, and find a balance in what everyone wants, you can create harmony amongst all. When I become Hokage, that is what I want to do. Find a way to unite the shinobi nations. There will be war, and some will not agree, but in the end, the people will be happier, as it will be a peace that they have created, and not one forced upon them, against their will."

He got up, and loosened the wires enough, so Konan could move her arms to eat. He left the plate there, and walked away. Konan looked down at the plate of food, then looked back up at Naruto, who had sat down next to Hinata, and had put an arm around her shoulder. Then she looked back down, and slowly began to eat.

(A/N: No, there is no relationship happening here. Don't worry.)

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Team Outcast and company moved slower coming home, as some of them needed to rest to regain lost chakra, while others were still recovering from wounds. At the end of three day's, they entered Konoha. Many people stopped as they saw the group pass with Konan, who was wearing her black and red Akatsuki cloak. To many that could only mean one thing. Many whispered conversations began, then began to grow, until cheering broke out, as people began celebrating the fall of Akatsuki. There were several who began to jeer at Konan, while other's were yelling praises at the group. But here and there, a few were silent, as they glared at Naruto. Naruto just shrugged it all off, as he continued on to the Hokage's Tower. At the entrance, they were met by several ANBU, who nodded to Naruto, and escorted them to Tsunade's office. Inside, Tsunade smiled as she stood up.

"I take it the mission was a resounding success?" Tsunade said, seeing Konan captured. Naruto nodded.

"We took down Zetsu, Pein, and Madara Uchiha, A.K.A., 'Tobi'. Konan was captured, and we brought her back." Tsunade nodded.

"Good job. You'll receive your mission pay from Shizune at the desk. As for Konan, she will have to stand trial for her crimes against the shinobi nations for aiding in attacking their ninja and jinchuuriki."

Naruto glanced back at Konan, who had her head down, before looking forward again. "Understood."

Tsunade smiled at all of them. "You all should be proud. You've taken care of a threat to all the Elemental countries. Take the rest of the week off."

There were grins on everyone's faces. They all bowed, and everyone but Naruto left. The ANBU escorted Konan to the high security room in the Tower, until she could be tried. Naruto sighed, as he moved closer.

"Baa-chan, can I ask a favor?"

Tsunade nodded. Naruto sat down. "I talked to Konan for a bit, and I think that if she co-operates, some consideration should go into her sentencing."

Tsunade looked at Naruto in surprise. "What?"

"She never really attacked anybody, other than those who attacked Pein, as well as Kisame and Hinata. And.... she's like Haku, who I told you about. She just needs to try and find a purpose in life. I'm not asking you to make her a ninja of Konoha, or set her free amongst the nations. I'm just thinking that you take some consideration into her sentencing. That's all." He got up, bowed, and left. Tsunade just sighed.

"Why does he have to make things so difficult?"

Outside the Tower, Naruto met up with Hinata. The two smiled, as they left hand in hand. Hinata moved closer against his side.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"How about the hot springs? I here the co-ed section is nice." Hinata giggled, and nodded, and they left to go get their swimsuits.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

_One Week Later_

In Wave, four Iwa jounin picked through the remains of the team of Konoha ANBU stationed in the area. They worked silently, looking for anything to help them complete their mission. One of them finally found a scroll on the captain of the unit, and pulled it out. He read over the orders, before looking at the other three. Their eye's flashed golden, before another strange, skeletal hawk appeared, then it morphed into a regular messenger hawk. The Iwa jounin gave the scroll to the hawk, and it flew away. Then the four jounin began to change into monstrous shapes, and devoured the Konoha corpses.

The hawk sped its way towards Iwa, and arrived two days later. Ganondorf was in one of his rare breaks, and was busy reading a orange covered book the Tscuhikage had owned. He giggled somewhat perversely, as he read a certain part, when the hawk landed on the desk. He put the book away, and took the message from his bag. He smiled as he read what the scroll contained. In an instant, he called for the secretary. She came in, and bowed.

"What is it, Tscuhikage-sama?"

"I want my personal ANBU body guards ready to move in an hour's time. One of out teams has done it. They have found the Nexus."

The secretary nodded, and left. Ganondorf began to laugh, eventually throwing his head back and laughed his victory at the heavens.

"Now, I will have the power I so truly deserve!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Link sat up with a start from the dream he was having. He had been taking a nap, when the dream began.

_Link's dream_

_He was in someplace he had never seen before. It looked like some type of ruin of an ancient temple. Before him was a massive golden orb, which pulsed with power, as various images came in and out of focus in the orb. He slowly approached it, only to stop when he heard the voices of the goddesses of the Triforce._

"_Link, Chosen Hero. The time has finally come for you to fulfill your purpose here in this land. The evil you once thought you had vanquished, has arisen anew. You must stop him, or both this land, and your own, will fall. Arise."_

Link closed his eyes, as he tried to figure out the meaning of this dream. _What evil were they talking about? Was it Zant? Or.... could he.....?_

Meanwhile, Tsunade frowned at the report she had received from Tazuna, who had become leader of Wave shortly after Naruto's mission there. She called Shizune in. When the short haired medic jounin arrived, Tsunade nodded to her.

"I need Naruto in here, now." Shizune nodded, and left.

Elsewhere in the village, Naruto was busy sparring against Daini in a weapon only match. Daini was fighting with her glaive, while Naruto was using both Izou and Ate, his twin swords. Daini had given him jutsu to dull the edges of his weapons, meaning they could cut each other.

(A/N: Inspired by the spell in _Eragon._ Man I love those books, and can't wait for the last one.)

(B/N: Same here! You know, I have a few theories about it.)

Naruto ducked under Daini's glaive, and then did a back handspring to avoid the sweeping kick that followed. He got himself into position and readied his blades, while Daini got into a defensive stance. They both were ready to charge, when an ANBU appeared.

"Namikaze-san, Hokage-sama has ordered for you to meet with her."

Naruto nodded, as Daini disappeared back into the seal. The ANBU and Naruto disappeared, one in a swirl of leaves, while Naruto in a swirl of wind.

Naruto re-appeared in Tsunade's office. The blond Godaime looked up from the report she was reading, her face solemn.

"Tazuna sent a report to us. The four ANBU stationed in Wave have disappeared. Upon investigation, people form Wave found a few remains, and blood stains in the area the ANBU were guarding on the day they disappeared."

Naruto cursed under his breath. He looked up at Tsunade. "So what now? Someone took them out, and knows about the Nexus."

Tsunade nodded. "I'm going to do the only thing that I can do. Naruto, Team Outcast needs to go to Wave, and find the Nexus. After that, you will relay the location of it back to me, and I'll send in reinforcements. Your team leaves tomorrow morning."

Naruto nodded. "I'll let everyone know right away." He turned to leave, when Tsunade stopped him.

"Be careful out there. Whatever we are dealing with his not normal."

"Don't worry baa-chan. I can't become Hokage if I die, can I?" With a smirk, Naruto left. Tsunade grinned, even as her inner self was screaming at Naruto for calling her baa-chan.

Outside, Naruto created three clones. "Okay. You look for Link. You two look for Arren and Eflower. They'll probably be together. I'll find Hinata. Tell them to meet up at Training Ground #7."

The clones, nodded, and headed off. The real Naruto headed towards the Hyuuga compound. When he reached the gates, the guards smiled, and welcomed him in. Since his fight with Katai, and his help in exposing the Hyuuga Elders, he was welcomed in the Hyuuga home. He found Tenten and Neji sitting by a koi pond outside the main building. He approached them, smiling.

"Hey guys. You know where Hinata-chan is?"

Neji smiled at him. "She said she was going to her special place."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks. Oh by the way. Next time you guys make out, you might want to cover the evidence better." He pointed at the hickey on Tenten's neck, then left, while both Tenten and Neji blushed, and decided to head somewhere more private.

Naruto leaped onto a nearby roof, and began moving towards the river that cut through Konoha. He followed it towards the Hokage Monument, where there was a waterfall. He stopped a distance away, then slowly approached on the ground. When he got near, he saw Hinata standing on the water in a one piece lavender bathing suit. She was moving on the water, almost like she was dancing. Naruto stopped and watched as her long hair flowed around her as she spun. To him, it was one of the most incredible things he had seen.

Eventually, she stopped, and the water settled, while she stood there, he eye's closed. They flew open as she heard someone clapping, only to smile as she saw Naruto. She walked towards the shore, where her clothes waited. Naruto met her there.

"So, that was the training you did for your move?" Naruto asked, as Hinata picked up her clothes.

"Yes. I would come out here at night, and practice. I started practicing everything like I was moving with water. My Juuken, my own jutsu's, all of it." She moved behind a large outcropping of rocks, while Naruto turned around. He glanced around the waterfall area.

"I understand why you would come here. It's so peaceful, and quiet."

"It is. I had a close call once, though. A couple of ANBU came over here looking for some certain plants. I managed to detect them in time, and get out of here. Otherwise, they might have seen something that they shouldn't."

Naruto blushed at the thought, but then shook it from his mind. Hinata came out, her jacket tied around her waist, revealing her sleeveless top and fishnet shirt. Naruto smiled at her, as they hugged. He pulled his head back, and kissed her. Then he remembered why he came.

"We need to meet up with the others at Training Ground 7. We have another mission."

Hinata nodded, and they left, hopping through the trees. With in minute's, they had arrived at the meeting place. Arren, Eflower, and Link were all ready there. Naruto and Hinata jumped down, Naruto landing on one of the three training post's. The one he had been tied to as a genin, when he had faced against Kakashi in the bell test.

He smiled as he looked at all of them. "I hope you all had a relaxing week off. But now, we have a mission."

They all straightened up, as Naruto continued. "We need to head to the Land of Waves, and find the Nexus. The ANBU team sent into the area was wiped out. We're to move in, find the Nexus, and relay the position of it back to Konoha. Hokage-sama will send reinforcements when we have found it. By now though, Iwa has found it as well, so we may be in for a fight. I want all of you packed and combat ready by tomorrow morning. Understand?"

They all nodded, but Link seemed distracted. Naruto came over to him. "Something wrong?"

Link looked up, and shrugged. "I don't know. I had a weird dream, that's all."

Naruto nodded. "Well, if you need to talk to someone, let us know."

Link nodded, while Naruto turned to the others. "We'll meet up tomorrow, at the south gate. Till tomorrow then."

They all nodded, and headed off.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ganondorf and his ANBU sped across the border between Earth Country and Waterfall, and sped towards the southwest. Ganondorf, as the Tscuhikage, turned towards his ANBU.

"We do not stop and rest until we have at least entered the border of Fire Country! I want to reach the Nexus as soon as possible to secure it. Understand?!"

The ANBU all silently nodded. Ganondorf turned, a smirk on his face. The group of ten ANBU, and one disguised demon thief sorcerer sped their way through the trees.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The following morning, Naruto waited for the others at the south gate. Arren and Eflower soon joined him, since they lived with him, but had to get a few things ready still. Link slowly rode up on his horse, all his weapons ready, fully stocked, and sharpened.

Naruto nodded to them, then turned to see Hinata approaching. He smiled at her as she joined them, then addressed the group.

"All right. I want all of you to be fully alert. We have no idea what or who we are facing. All we do know is that they are dangerous, and were strong enough to wipe out a squad of highly trained ANBU."

(A/N: Sorry to butt in here, but seriously, highly trained? Most of the ANBU seem chuunin in skills. I mean, the one who jumped the barrier during the Oto/Suna invasion, and got fried? Even a genin would know better than to jump at some barrier the enemy at put up. If you ask me, most ANBU are highly over exaggerated in skills and abilities.)

(B/N: You're the one who wrote they were highly trained. Besides, their the Hokage's bodyguards, and they have to be highly skilled and powerful for that.)

They all became serious at that, while Naruto nodded. "We'll be heading to Wave, and set up camp at the home of Tazuna, an old friend of mine. From there, we'll follow Daini to the location of the Nexus, and secure it. This mission could possibly decide the fate of just not Konoha, but all the Elemental Nations. We can't fail."

They all nodded. Naruto smiled at each of them. "Now, let's go show why not to mess with Konoha shinobi!"

With that, they disappeared into the woods.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The two groups headed towards their destination, neither knowing of the other that was approaching the same destination as them. Ganondorf's group had the advantage of all of them having high endurance, a head start, and not being slowed down by a rider on a horse. But Naruto knew the fastest route to Wave. His team had less distance to travel, and they didn't have to hide from Konoha shinobi, since they were from Konoha.

Two days after setting out, the team reached the bridge Tazuna had built a few years ago. They stopped as they noticed the name of the bridge, and the plaque underneath it. Naruto smiled as he read it.

"Welcome to the _Great Naruto Bridge!_ Named after the hero who brought life, hope and peace to our village and land."

Hinata smiled as she entwined his hand with hers. "This is incredible, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled at her. "It's actually kind of embarrassing. I didn't know they named the bridge after me."

They headed across, Link leading his horse. As they entered the village beyond, they were surprised to be met by a large group of villagers. The villagers cheered as they saw Naruto. A young boy, ran forward, yelling "Ni-san!"

Naruto's breath whooshed out, as Inari hugged him. HE looked down at the young boy, now almost 12 years old.

"Inari? Is that you?"

"It is! I can't believe you're back!" Inari stepped back, and both he and Naruto examined each other.

Inari still wore the same clothes as before, except bigger. He also had a quiver of crossbow bolts strapped to his back, along with his crossbow. A wakizashi was secured to his side. Naruto smiled.

"Well, don't you look like a terror? Been practicing hard?"

Inari nodded. "Yep. I'm part of the newly formed village militia. I'm going to protect my home, no matter what. Just like you did." Then Inari looked at the others. "Whose with you? They don't look like your old teammates."

Naruto smiled. "I'll make introductions later. Right now, can you show us to your home?"

"Sure!" Inari led them through the cheering people, towards his house. Naruto looked around, seeing how much the village had changed. It was now a thriving community. They stopped in the plaza, which had a statue in the middle of it. The statue had Kaiza, the first hero of Wave, standing there in the pose he had given Inari, when he told him to protect those precious to him with both arms. Facing the other way was Naruto, dressed like he was when he was a genin. He stood there, his fox grin on his face, with a kunai held ready in one hand.

Naruto smiled as he looked at the statue. He slowly circled it, looking it over. Finally, he stopped as he looked at Inari.

"Well, you certainly captured Kaiza-san perfectly. But I think I'm a little short." They all laughed, before they headed off.

When they reached Tazuna's house, Naruto smiled. The simple house was still was still there, but it had been repaired, and expanded. Now, you could easily fit at least 10 people in the house. Inari smiled as he went up to the door, and opened it. Link tied his horse up outside, and they all entered, as Inari called out.

"Okaa-san! I'm home, and guess who else is here!" A woman in her early thirties, with long black hair, came out from the kitchen. She was wearing a pink shirt, and a long blue skirt. As soon as she saw Naruto, her face lit up.

"Naruto! It's so good to see you again!" She hugged Naruto, while Inari hung up his sword, quiver, and crossbow. She looked over the others.

"Who are your friends?" Naruto looked around.

"Is Tazuna here?"

"Right here." The old man that Naruto and Team 7 had escorted home entered. Absolutely nothing had changed, including the sake bottle in his hands. Naruto smiled.

"All right then. Well, this is Hinata Hyuuga, my team's tracker, and one of our healers. Oh, uh, she's also my fiancé." At this, Inari smiled, Tsunami giggled, and Tazuna looked happy, but also surprised.

"What about the pink haired girl.... Sakura, right?"

Naruto shrugged. "I grew out of her. Besides, I see her as one of my 'nee-chans'. Hinata is more like someone I would want to spend my life with." Hinata blushed slightly, as she she hugged Naruto from behind. Naruto smiled back at her, before looking at the others.

"This is Arren Pikku Uzumaki, and as the name suggest's, we're related. He's my cousin, and the team's summoner, naturalist, elementalist, and all around speed fighter. The girl next to him is Eflower Angelius, our team's primary healer, and his girlfriend." At the look on their faces, hearing a twenty six year old guy, and a sixteen year old girl, were going out, Naruto quickly explained.

"There's a good reason. He under went a accident, which aged his body. He's really sixteen, but his body is ten years older."

They all calmed down a little, and Naruto turned to the last one. "And this is Link. He's not a ninja, but he's still has a few skills which really help. HE's the team's weapon expert, and demolitionist."

Tazuna nodded. "Right. Well, I hope your team does better than your old one did."

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, well, don't worry. We've been through some tough times together, and we've come through them all. So, anything interesting to report?"

Tazuna nodded. "We took a look at the area where the ANBU disappeared. From the looks of it, they were ambushed by ninjas. But then, some of the tracks changed into some type of animal or something. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were attacked and eaten by some type of monsters."

Everyone stiffened, and Link thought for a moment. "Naruto? I think I would like to check out these tracks."

Naruto nodded. "Tazuna, can you arrange for a guide for Link, Arren, and Eflower? I want them to check out the area."

Tazuna nodded. "I'll get right on it."

Naruto nodded, as he looked at the team. "We'll set up our rooms first. So, how do we want to bunk up?"

Hinata smiled softly. "I wouldn't mind bunking with you, Naruto-kun."

This got quite a reaction from Tazuna and Tsunami, and Naruto quickly assured them that nothing would happen. He looked back at Hinata.

"I think that would work. Men and Hinata in one, Arren and Eflower in another. Link, do you mind bunking alone?"

Link shook his head, and they all went to set themselves up.

Several hours later, Naruto was standing on a hill overlooking the village. In front of him were two graves. One had a huge cleaving sword buried in it, while the other had a broken hunter-nin mask from Kiri. Naruto smiled at the two graves.

"Haku, Zabuza. How you guys been? It's been a while, hasn't it?" He slowly sat down, looking at the sun that was beginning to set.

"You know, I owe a lot to you guys. It's because of you that I was able to really realize what was important in my life. I was able to truly make my own nindo."

He looked down at the graves, and smiled. "Yu were right, Haku. When you find someone precious to you, and you vow to protect them, you truly do become strong."

He sighed as he leaned back. "You know, there are a few times I wish you both had survived. Haku, you would have been a great friend. And Zabuza, I know that you would have become a great ally. Maybe I could have even helped you with your dream."

He sighed as he stood back up. "I need to go now. We're here looking for something, and investigating the disappearance of some ANBU. It was good to see you both again."

He placed some flowers on the graves, then turned and left.

Miles from the bridge, in the Land of Fire, Ganondorf and the ANBU stopped to camp for the night. Ganondorf looked in the distance, towards Wave.

"Tscuhikage-sama? Is something wrong?" One of the ANBU asked. Ganondorf turned.

"No, not at all." He turned back to the direction he was looking.

_I can feel it. The power of the Triforce of Courage. So, he is here._

Suddenly, the four "jounin" appeared. Ganondorf looked at them. "Report."

They all bowed, and one looked up. "Tscuhikage-sama, we have not located the Nexus, but we did spy a team of Konoha shinobi enter Wave."

The Kage from Iwa nodded. "Very good. You will remain with us now. We will not engage the Konohs shinobi, unless they attack us first."

All the shinobi nodded, while Ganondorf moved over to his tent. He entered, and sat down, beginning to meditate on everything he learned.

_We will need to be fast if I am to obtain my power without any interference. But no matter what,. I will_ _get what is rightfully mine. _

* * *

**Sorry for being so late. I haven't been feeling good these past few days, so I'm been off in updating. Also, welcome to 2009!**

**AP: So much for 11 pages only.**

**LR: I'M NOT FEELING GOOD, AND..... ACHOO! I'm doing the best I can. So, this is only 10 pages. It's almost 11.**

**By the way, I created a forum, where we can talk about whatever concerning Naruto. Check it out if you're interested.**

**Also, here's a shout out to Kyuubi123, who has an excellent story rolling, called Naruto's True Nindo. Check it out, I highly recommend it.**


	24. Welcome to My World

**Here we go. This is the beginning of the end here. **

**RS: What's with the dramatics?**

**LR: I feel like it.**

**Arashen: Why?**

**LR: Because I do.**

**AP: Jeez, what's your problem?**

**LR: Nothing, except I damn near fried my families computer. Word of advice. Never, ever, touch anything that says Antivirus 2010 on it. It's a fraud, and I hate it.**

**Naruto: Huh?**

**Arashen: Ditto?**

**LR: It's a computer thing. Something you wouldn't understand.**

**RS: Well, don't worry. The computer is fine, mostly.**

**LR: Yeah, I just feel bad about it. **

**DNHLR: CHEER UP!**

**LR: NO! Damn it, why are you here?**

**DNHLR: I'm part of you, aren't I?**

**RS: Who's this?**

**LR: He's one of my personalities. He's Diehard NaruHina Leaf Ranger, and he's been popping up in reviews I leave for almost two weeks now. I can't control him.**

**DNHLR: Hi everyone! It's so good to be out. LONG LIVE NARUHINA!**

**LR: SHUT UP! (Drops on ocean liner on DNHLR's head.)**

**LR:..... I'm in a bad mood. Understand?**

**Everyone: Y-yes.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Legend of Zelda, or anything else here that has all ready been copyrighted, or belongs to someone else.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

**Welcome to My World**

Naruto sighed as he sat down at the table. It was early in the morning, and currently, he was the only one awake. He placed a couple of maps on the table in front of him, and weighted the corners down with kunai laid on them. One map was of the Elemental Nations, while the other was a map of Wave.

Daini appeared next to him, her hair looking freshly combed and brushed. Naruto glanced at her, then back at the maps. "So, where is it?"

"Morning to you too." She said, as she looked over the maps. She picked up a pen, and made a mark in the northern section of Wave. "Here it is. If my memories correct, there should be a ruined castle, or temple up that way. That is where the Nexus for this world should be."

Naruto nodded, as he created three shadow clones. They all looked at the map, before nodding, and leaving. Naruto shifted his attention to the other map. "If anyone from Iwa is coming to back up whoever took out our ANBU, about where do you think they would be?"

Daini glanced over the other map. "Well, they would be jounin at least. ANBU and Elite Jounin would be a good guess. If you add in the amount of time till we got the report on our ANBU, they could be anywhere in the southeastern part of the Land of Fire. For all we know, if they barely rested, they could be outside of Wave."

Naruto nodded. "We'll have to get to the Nexus as soon as possible. I don't want anyone using that kind of power." He glanced at her. "You said that the old sorcerer transferred his knowledge to you about the Nexus. Can we destroy it?"

Daini nodded. "Yeah. It won't be easy, but it's possible. Why?"

"Because it's too much of a danger. As soon as Link is back home, I want to destroy this Nexus, and make sure no one can ever use it to get to here."

Daini nodded, before noticing for the first time the slight dark circles under Naruto's eyes. "Otouto, did you get any sleep last night?"

Naruto wearily nodded. "A few hours. I was just bombarded with memories about this place. Some of them weren't fun."

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah. I just wish.... I just wish I could have helped him. Helped him get rid of his thirst for vengeance. I really did see him as a friend and brother. Until the Valley of the End. Then I knew he was lost." He sighed as he sat back. Daini came over and hugged him.

"Don't worry about it. Now, you've got someone better as your "brotherly" figure. Now, you need to cheer up, because I think a certain someone is coming."

Daini disappeared, as Hinata came into the room. Naruto gave her a smile, as she rubbed thesleepiness from her eyes. She smiled back at Naruto, as she came over.

"Morning handsome."

"Morning. Sleep well?"

Hinata nodded as she sat next to Naruto. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Just going over some maps. Daini's going to lead us to the Nexus today. We'll secure it, and after getting Link home, I intend to destroy it."

"Destroy what?" Tsunami said, as she entered to start making breakfast. Naruto and Hinata looked up at her.

"Oh. It's nothing. Don't worry." Tsunami would have questioned them, but she had faith in Naruto, so she let it go. Hinata went over to help her cook, while the others joined them. Inari had actually started bugging Link and Arren to help him train in the use of his wakizashi, to which both had agreed, when they had a chance. Tazuna had been talking to Eflower about some of the local plant life, which might be used for medicinal purposes.

As breakfast was served, Link decided to tell the others what he had found last night.

"I looked over the tracks of whatever took out those ANBU. Things may have gotten complicated. From the looks of it, the tracks were kinda like these creature back home, which we called Lizalfos. Except bigger."

As they all looked at him, he continued. "There's actually some varieties to them. Lizalfos can either have ax blades attached to their tales, or a bone like helmet on their heads. They have shields and swords. The other varieties are known as Dynalfos, which are heavily armored, and have a round metal shield and ax, plus spikes on the tail. Then there are Aeralfos, which can fly, and carry long swords and shields. They all look like large, very dangerous lizards."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Large lizards?"

"Dangerous lizards."

"Well, that's.... nasty. Just plain nasty. But... how can creatures from your world be here?"

Link shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't make sense. But... something here feels familiar. In a bad way."

Naruto sighed. "Why is it my team never gets the easy, uncomplicated missions? Okay. We move out after lunch. I want everyone on full alert. If we run into these things, I want to take them down, and fast."

Everyone nodded, before splitting up to take care of whatever.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ganondorf and his group from Iwa crossed the bridge, and immediately disappeared into the woods. After finding a secluded clearing, Ganondorf sent the ANBU out in pairs, to look for the Nexus. He sat with his four jounin, thinking things over.

"That stupid kid is here. And knowing him, he'll mess things up, just like his previous incarnation did."

(A/N: Confused? For those of you who have played the game, I'll explain how Ganondorf is alive when Link killed him at the end of Twilight Princess. And if you haven't played the game.... it doesn't really matter, does it?)

(B/N: The answer to that rhetorical question is.... no.)

He looked at the four jounin, who he had turned into his own warriors. "You all will stop him if he comes after us. Nothing must stop me from getting to the Nexus. Understand?"

They all nodded, before disappearing to train nearby. A few hours went by, when two ANBU appeared.

"Tscuhikage-sama! We have found a large ruin to the northeast. It seems well guarded by traps, and a few creatures."

Ganondorf nodded. "Very well. Lead the way!"

The two ANBU led the group of five to the ruin, which was a large temple. It was now crumbling, with vines and other plants growing on it. The other ANBU stood outside at the ready.

Ganondorf nodded. "Follow me." He slowly led them in.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto checked over his supplies again, as he readied himself to lead his team. Everyone had finished eating lunch, and was prepping for the mission ahead. Arren sat on the ground, letting the energy of nature around him flow over him. Eflower and Hinata checked their weapons and medical supplies, while Link stocked up on arrows, before looking over his axes and spear, and sharpening the blades on them. Inari stood nearby.

"Why can't I go with you guys?" He asked, his weapons all ready at his side. Naruto sighed as he kneeled down in front of Inari.

"We need you here, to watch over your family. Whatever is out there was strong enough to take down four ANBU. I don't want you to get hurt."

Inari nodded, his head down. "Okay. But come back, okay Nii-san?"

Naruto smiled. "Definitely." He hugged Inari, before standing up, and turning to his team. With a nod, they all disappeared into the trees.

Naruto took point, and listening to Daini's directions, led the group northwards. Within two hours, they arrived in a large clearing. A huge ruined temple rose before them.

Inside their host's, Haiya, onbin, and Daini tensed, readied to appear in the real world to help at a moment's notice. Daini sent a mental warning to Naruto, who said to everyone else.

"Okay, last time Daini was here, she was a giant kitsune, and wasn't bothered much by anything. But there are traps and guardians through out this place, so be careful."

Link just stood there. "Not again. Please not again." He said, as they slowly entered.

The first room was a large hallway, with nothing special. At the end was a large door. They slowly approached, and entered into a long hallway. At first, nothing seemed wrong, except a small puddle of blood in the center of the hallway. But as they neared the middle of the hallway, and the blood, Link's senses went off.

"Everyone BACK!" He yelled. The ninja's quick reflexes kicked in, and they all jumped back, as a part of the ceiling turned out to be an illusion, and a square platform with spikes on the bottom dropped down. Hinata and Eflower gasped, as a skewered ANBU was stuck on the spikes. It was his blood that was on the floor, dripping through the illusion of the ceiling. The spike smashing thing retracted, leaving the hallway clear.

Link sat down. "That was close. This is just like back home. Temples and dungeons filled with traps." He looked up at the "ceiling". "We need a tall block, or something, that we can push under that platform, and hold it up while we move under it."

Arren nodded, and slammed his hands on the ground. A large block of stone, taller than them, rose out of the ground. As one, Haiya, Link, Arren, and Naruto pushed the block forward. As they neared the trap, the spikes fell again, but were stuck on the block. The guys grinned, as they and the girls slowly advanced underneath.

(A/N: Now, Naruto and the others get to experience a part of Link's life)

When they were cleared, Arren returned the stone to its former position. They looked at Link, and Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think you should lead."

Link nodded, and took point. Arren pulled out his bow, and held an arrow in his left hand with the bow, ready to grab it and fire as they entered the next room. To himself, the warrior muttered, "I like taking point."

Inside was a simple antechamber, with an inscription written across one of the walls. Naruto stopped and looked at it, allowing Daini to read and translate it.

"It's a list of various worlds still linked to ours. You see areas that are smudged out, or were filed away? Those are worlds where the links were severed. It's a shame really. Imagine what we could learn from some of these other worlds."

Everyone nodded, as the moved onward. They passed in a large, circular chamber, which had three passages branching off of it. As they looked at each one, Link took one step forward. There was a loud, whooshing sound, as two spiked logs swung towards him. Suddenly, one of Arren's arrows impacted on one, before exploding, while Naruto leapt through the air, Uzu Izou in hand. He sheared the other log, making it nothing more than fire wood. He landed gracefully, before slowly sheathing the sword.

Almost as soon as he had, there was a beast like roar, and a large, wolf like creature jumped down from the wall at him. Hinata screamed as the creature smashed Naruto aside with a giant paw. Arren cursed as he shot the creature with another arrow, only for it to be reflected off its hide. The creature turned to face Arren, and charged forward, its mouth opened wide, and saliva dripping from his fangs. Suddenly, lightning bolts ripped into his hide, scorching him.

The creature let out another howl, this time in agony, as he turned towards Hinata, who had launched the attack. HE rushed at her, his eyes wide with bloodlust and anger. But Naruto managed to knock Hinata out of the way. They both hit the ground as the beast skidded past them. It turned, to see Link standing over the two shinobi, his spear in hand. This spear was special. It had a broad blade, with a cross hilt below the blade. The spear was at least six or seven feet long.

(A/N: This type of spear is special. It's actually a boar spear, used for hunting wild boar. Thank you Ranger's Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan. Also, this spear looks like the silver spear in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, or Radiant Dawn)

Link planted the bottom of the spear on the ground, and kneeled, as the wolf creature charged. Link held the spear out, and the creature ran itself right onto it. It roared in pain and agony, then fell silent as the blade pierced its heart. It fell over, never to rise again.

Link slowly yanked the spear from the creature, as Naruto helped Hinata up. "You okay?" He whispered to her.

She nodded, as he hugged her close to him. The others recovered their breath, before looking to Link. Link turned towards the three passageways.

"I would say the middle one. But I can't be sure. Naruto, what does Daini say?"

Naruto closed his eyes. "She says you're right. The side passageways lead to a garden, and living quarters. We should go up the center."

They proceeded down the hall, coming to a door. Link reached for the door, only for Eflower to grab his wrist. "Something doesn't feel right about it."

"She's right. It isn't a good idea to just open that door." Arren said. Link stepped back, while Naruto created a shadow clone. The clone opened the door, only for it to blow up, taking clone, and a section of the hallway around the door with it. Naruto and Arren shielded Hinata and Eflower, from debris, while Link used his shield. When they looked up, the hallway near the door had collapsed.

Ganondorf turned, as he heard the explosion. "So, we do have company." He turned to his four jounin. "We must hurry."

With that, the evil wizard thief in disguise continued onward, his loyal minions right behind him.

Naruto sighed as he looked over the debris. "It could take us a while to get through all that."

Arren smiled at that. "I think not." He said, as he closed his eyes. He went through some hand signs, and placed his hands on ground. Vines suddenly shot out of the floor, wall, and ceilings, and began ripping the stones away.

The ANBU on the other side were tired and more than a little frustrated. They had lost half their numbers in this stupid temple. First was that ceiling trap, then the logs had gotten two more and the creature had gotten two more. Now, the trap they had laid was triggered. One sighed as he slumped against the wall.

"You think we can-AHHHHHHHH!" He screamed out, as a hidden fire jet suddenly engulfed him in flames. His burned corpse fell to the ground, as the final four jumped away.

"That's it? I hate this place! I'm getting out here before something else happens!" The shouter turned and ran towards the direction that the Tscuhikage and his jounin had gone. The remaining three just shook their heads.

"It's always the new ones-." One started, only to be interrupted by the debris pile blowing inwards.

"Who are the smartest?" Arren said, as both he and Link unleashed arrows through the now open area. One of the ANBU was killed instantly, by an arrow in the throat. Another was knocked out by a an electrically charged arrow striking his arm. The remaining ANBu unsheathed his katana as he charged forward, only to be blocked by another katana. A bo staff smacked him in the stomach, before the blunt side of a straight bladed broadsword struck the side of his head. As he fell backwards, he landed on a spike trap, which pierced his body, ending him.

Eflower began shaking as she looked at the bloody corpse. Arren pulled her close, and hugged her, while whispering comforting words into her ear. Link took a look down the hallway.

"There are fire jets at even intervals down the hall. Maybe a few spike traps as well. We need to be careful."

Naruto and Hinata nodded, while Arren just kept comforting Eflower. Eventually, she stopped shaking, and looked up at Arren with a small smile. "Thanks." She whispered.

Arren nodded, as Eflower slowly pulled away. With that, they slowly moved forward, watching out for various traps and such.

Eventually, they reached the end of the hall, which led upwards in a flight of steps. They continued up, reaching another door, which they passed through. As soon as they did, Hinata screamed. The room was full of skeletons of warriors and other people killed by the temple traps. But what made Hinata scream was the fact that the skeletons were standing, and were now coming after them.

Naruto cursed as he made his trademark hand sign. "**Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Dozens of Naruto's popped up. But to his surprise, Arren just shook his head.

"No need for that, cuz. Eflower, why don't you show them what angel powers can do to the un-dead?" The Senshi stepped back, allowing his girlfriend to take his place. Even though she was an outcast, the team's black haired medic was still an angel. With her brown wings gently unfolding behind her, she began to gather the energy of her race. Naruto, Link, and Hinata were worried, as the skeletons drew closer. But as they got ready to fight, Eflower unleashed the energy she had been gathering. It rippled through the room, dispelling the necromancy that brought the bones to life, allowing them to rest once more. Well, almost all of them. A few of the skeleton warriors, once ninja's, or magic wielders from another realm, escaped by erecting barriers they had learned in life. Now, they charged forward, as the group readied themselves, while Eflower moved back to regain her energy.

Arren smirked as a pair of saw like blades grew out of his shields, and he disappeared, reappearing behind one of the skeletons, which fell apart into different segments.

Hinata swung her staff, knocking the head off of one of the skeletons. It dropped it's weapons, and began scrambling around on the floor, looking for it's missing head. When he found it, he picked it up, only to put his head on backwards.

Naruto swung hard, severing a skeleton's spine. The skeletal warrior fell to the ground, but his upper half began crawling towards them. Naruto punted the skeleton's head off it's neck, causing the rest of the body to stop.

Link blocked an incoming strike from a mean looking battle ax with his shield, before severing the bones carrying the ax with the Master Sword. Then he performed the Helm Splitter attack, bashing the skeleton with his shield, before somersaulting over the skeleton, striking his skull with his sword. The skeleton fell, his skull split open.

They dispatched the few remaining skeletons, sending their tortured souls back to either Heaven, or the Underworld. Naruto sighed as he looked over Arren and Eflower.

"You two have a trick for everything, don't you?" As the two smiled, Naruto indicated the next door. "Let's go."

They quickly picked their way through the bone field, and exited the room.

Link glanced down the new hallway. He slowly moved forward, with the others behind him. He glanced around, surprised at the lack of traps so far. That was, until a wall of spears dropped down in front of them, and another behind them. The two walls started sliding towards them, gaining speed. Link immediately moved to the middle of the group.

"DIN'S FIRE!" He yelled, channeling his new found magic into his left hand, and slamming it into the ground. A sphere of fire surrounded them, and spread outwards. The flames engulfed the two spear walls, burning them away, while the metal spear heads fell to the ground. Link slowly stood back up.

"That's how the old me got out of that trap. Back when he was in the Shadow Temple."

Arren nodded. "Impressive. I'm glad we have you along."

Link smiled as he went forward. "Well, so far, you all have been saving my butt, because I didn't understand your world. Now, this is my world, and I'm glad to return the favor."

They slowly approached the end of the hallway. It opened up into a huge room, circled by columns, and lit by torches in wall brackets. But what got everyone's attention were the six figures in the center of the room.

One was the ANBU who had run earlier. He now lay on the ground, his throat slit. Behind his corpse stood four jounin. Each had the same vacant, yet menacing look on their faces.

The last figure wore the robes of the Tscuhikage. He smiled as he looked over the team of hero's.

"I'm impressed. You managed to get past all those traps without losing anyone." Link stiffened, because the voice sounded familiar.

"Ahhh, Link, the Legendary Hero of Hyrule. It's good to see you again." The Tscuhikage sneered. Everyone glanced at Link, before Naruto looks forward again.

"What do you mean by again? How do you know Link?"

"Because that's not really who he is." Link said. Everyone looked at him as he continued.

"There's only one person whose voice has haunted my dreams, and whose aura sent cold shivers down my spine. Isn't that right, Ganondorf?"

The Tscuhikage chuckled, then began laughing a deep, booming, evil laugh. "Very good! You figured it out."

Hinata looked shocked. "But how? I thought you killed him?"

"So did I. Apparently though, I didn't kill him enough."

"Oh, you did. You did kill me. At least, you killed the future me. You see, I am the Ganondorf who was sealed into the Twilight Realm. And I was beginning to make my move to take over Zant, and begin the events you took part in. But then, I felt another power. One greater than that I felt coming from the Twili. So, I followed it, until I came to a small.... 'rift', if you will, in the fabric of space and time. And using that rift, I escaped, only to become lost in the power of what you all, and myself, have come here for.... the Nexus."

He began to pace behind his four jounin. (A/N: Classic evil monologue coming.)

"While in the Nexus, I felt and saw everything. I felt the power and emotions from countless different realms. I saw many things. And yet, I could not act. I was powerless to control the Nexus while trapped in it as I was. Eventually, feeding off the evil and anger that leaked through from different realms, I grew strong. Strong enough to regain my body, my former power, and more."

He stopped, and indicated his 'body'. "When I lured this fool into believing I worked for him, I destroyed his soul, and inhabited it. I did the same to those four, except I made them more. They are the greatest minions I could ever hope to have in my service. Observe."

One of the jounin suddenly began to shiver, as his body morphed. It changed into a giant, skeletal, ice like creature, with an ice spear for a weapon.

"Chilfos." Link whispered.

"Indeed! They can turn into any of the many minions I once commanded, as well as use their own abilities before I molded them into my own servants. And now, while I go and claim the power I deserve, I will leave them to.... 'Entertain' you."

Ganondorf turned to leave, only to be stopped by Arren shouting, "What do you want with the Nexus?"

Ganondorf looked over his shoulder. "Yes. I suppose I should tell you that, since you all will be dead soon. I intend to travel back in time, back to the beginning of Hyrule. When the Three Goddesses leave behind the Triforce, I will be there to collect it, and become the true king of Hyrule. When I have my kingdom, I'll begin to expand to other realms, until all is under my dominion. But none of you have to worry. None of you will be alive to serve under me."

As he turned to leave again, Arren gave him one last parting remark. "Your overconfident, and that is why you, and your minions, will lose, Ganondork!"

With a snarl of anger, Ganondorf left, as the four jounin assumed fighting stances. Everyone looked at Naruto.

"We don't know what these guys are capable of, and we'll need everyone to fight Ganondorf. We're going to stick together, and take these four out first."

With that, they nodded, and got into their own fighting stances.

"So, shapeshifter's, huh? This should be interesting." Arren said. "Anyone know which is the weakest, and which is the strongest?"

Link shook his head. "Not until they change. Then we'll know."

Suddenly, one of the jounin rushed forward, throwing a punch at Arren.

"That's a shame." Arren said calmly as he dodged the punch. They way he did it made him look like he was out on a stroll. "Guess I'll take this on then."

The other jounin leapt into action, attacking and dividing the group up. Arren and Eflower found themselves fighting two jounin at once.

"Typical. We always get the worst side of the bargain, don't we?" Arren remarked to his girlfriend. The outcast angel nodded in reply.

The two jounin charged forward as one, dividing the pair up. Arren just sighed as he dodged the punches and kicks thrown at him, before slamming a fist into his opponent's gut. He then spun around in the opposite direction, to land a round house kick on the back of the jounin's head. The jounin grabbed his leg, and threw Arren, who landed easily.

"Not bad. But can you keep up with this?" Arren suddenly blurred out of sight, before reappearing as he smashed one of his armor's shields into his opponent's chest. The jounin flew back, crashing into a wall, before landing on his feet. Arren moved forward, kneeing the jounin in the chin, and sending him flying, before leaping up, and smashing him with his fist's clutched together. The jounin crashed down, while Arren landed lightly.

"That was boring." He said, turning to help Eflower, only to stop as he heard his opponent shift. He turned to see the jounin get off the floor, his eye's suddenly golden. A dark power came over the jounin, healing his wounds. Arren took a step back.

"Okay, seeing someone other than Naruto do that is new." He said, only to quickly sidestep a punch thrown at him. It seemed the dark power also made the jounin faster as well.

"Now this is more like it!" Arren yelled with the smile of a daredevil, as he dropped his weights. He quickly began trading blows with the jounin at an increased speed. Eventually, he landed a strong enough hit to knock his opponent back, long enough to perform a series of hand signs.

"**Earth Style: Earth Bomb Jutsu!**" He yelled, before slamming his hands into the ground. A huge chunk of rock exploded out, before being kicked at the jounin. As the jounin dodged, Arren formed a ram sigh, and the rock exploded. Several pieces of shrapnel cut into the jounin, but nothing more serious than a flesh wound. The jounin landed, his own hand signs complete. Without warning, several pillars of rock exploded from the ground at Arren. Arren managed to dodge all of them.

"Cheater!" He yelled, before leaping back into battle.

Eflower ducked under a spinning kick, then blocked a second kick. She lashed out with a left hook, connecting with the jounin's jaw. He stumbled back, rubbing his jaw. Then he reached up, and unsheathed the katana on his back.

Eflower drew her sword, waiting for the jounin to charge. The two of them blurred out of sight, reappearing as their sword's clashed. They kept bouncing around, sparks flying as their swords met.

They finally came to a halt, their blade's locked together. Both pushed against each other, trying to gain the advantage. Suddenly, Eflower fell back, pulling the jounin with her. She pushed as she fell back, causing him to fly over her head. She rolled to her feet, and rushed him as he stood back up. With a yell, her sword got past his guard, and slashed an opening across his chest. He stumbled back, looking at the blood slowly seeping out, before looking back up at her. She faltered as his eyes blazed golden, and the same dark power came over him, healing the wound.

Link grunted as he ducked and dodged his jounin's barrage of punches and kicks. He was definitely not made for unarmed combat. He dodged back, his shield raised to block another punch. The jounin used it as a spring board over Link. Link quickly turned around, only to get a blow to the gut. He crashed backwards, rolling to get back to his feet. As he did, he drew the Master Sword, while his opponent drew a pair of Kunai. He leapt forward, swing the sword down. As his opponent dodged, Link landed, and quickly spun, his sword locking with the two kunai. While they were stuck like that, Link kicked out, hitting the jounin in the stomach. He quickly bashed the man in the back of the head with his sword hilt, before kicking him away. The jounin skidded across the ground. Link sighed as he rubbed his right arm, which was sore from the blocking.

"That hurt." he whispered, only to stop as the jounin stood, up the same dark power coming over him, and healing him. The jounin turned, his now golden eyes locking with Link's, before running through hand signs. Link pulled out his ball and chain, as a giant boulder of rock ripped from the ground, and hovered before the jounin. Then it flew at him. He swung the giant iron ball around, and released it at the rock, shattering it. But from the smoke and debris, the jounin emerged, and smashed a fist into Links' face. Link went flying, and crashed into the ground.

_It's official. I hate fighting ninja's._ Link thought, as he slowly stood back up.

Naruto and Hinata found themselves fighting perhaps the toughest of the four jounin. Naruto blocked a punch, while Hinata struck, only for her Juuken strike to be knocked aside. The Iwa jounin kicked out at Hinata's feet, only to be blocked by Naruto's leg. The three of them continued like this for several minutes. Hinata and Naruto's teamwork was practically seamless, but the jounin's speed and skill allowed him to keep pace. Few hits from either side made it through.

Eventually, Naruto found an opening, and managed to drive a kunai into the jounin's left arm. At that moment, while the jounin was distracted by the weapon in his arm, Hinata made her move.

"**Eight Trigrams, Sixty Four Palms!**" She yelled. She struck out to begin the combo.

"Two palms! Four palms! Eight palms! Sixteen palms! Thirty two palms! Sixty four palms!" Her last strike knocked the Iwa jounin back.

Naruto smiled at Hinata. "Nice one, hime." Hinata smiled, only for it to stop as the Iwa jounin was enveloped in dark power. He got up, his now golden eye's burning with hatred and anger. Hinata gasped at what she saw with her Byakugan.

"His chakra points are open!" Suddenly, the Iwa jounin moved forward, even faster than before. Hinata barely had her guard up, before a fist smashed into her gut, and sent her crashing into a column.

"HINATA!" Naruto yelled, only to find himself under attack. He was forced to drop his weights to keep up with the jounin's new speed. The two were practically blurs, trading blows at an alarming pace. Suddenly, the jounin got an opening,, and sent a fist smashing into Naruto's face.

Naruto crashed next to Hinata, who was on one knee. He slowly got back up, and looked at Hinata.

"I think we need to combo him." Hinata nodded, before they both started their first hand signs.

"**Fire Style, Dragon Fire Ball Jutsu!**"

"**Water Style, Water Dragon Jutsu!**" Naruto launched a massive fire ball from his mouth, while Hinata did the same with water. The two attacks headed for the jounin, who created a wall of earth to protect him. As the attacks hit, Hinata set up for her next attack. She slammed her hands on the trail of water left from her jutsu, and electricity flowed from her arms, and onto the water. It followed it all the way to the earth wall, which shattered under the attack. The electricity continued onto the jounin, who was standing in a small puddle of water that had seeped under the earth wall, and began to electrocute him.

Link smashed his shield into his jounin's chest, and followed up with a slash across his chest, which cut deeply.

Eflower hit her jounin with a powerful blast of her angel chakra, knocking him back against a wall.

Arren used his superior speed to hit his opponent with a devastating barrage of blows.

The four jounin hit the ground at the same time. The team looked at each other.

"Is everyone okay?" Naruto turned to each of them, getting their responses. Beyond bruises, sore limbs and bodies, and a few cuts, no one was seriously hurt. But before they could leave, the dark energy emitting from the four jounin increased. Slowly, they stood back up, as their bodies began to shift and change. The hero's readied themselves for another fight, as Arren sighed, "Here we go again."

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**Sorry for taking so long. First the Antivirus crap thing that nearly fried the computer, and then my mom was so sick, I was spending most of my time helping her. Anyways, I hope you all weren't disappointed after waiting so long.**

**I have a new forum topic, and poll, so please, check them out. The poll is for my NarutoXEragon crossover, and I really want all of your opinions.**

**AP: I think a modified Arren would do well for that.... in fact, who else thinks Arren, Arashen, and/or Eflower should pop up in more fanfics.**

**LR: Just so you all know, Allan is the one who really is asking this question. I wasn't planning on having major good guy OC's in that fic, other than the dragons that pop up. But, I would be interested in all of your guy's opinion on the matter. So here is the deal. How about after I get enough votes on my current poll, I put up a new one on this issue. You can either vote there, or tell me your opinion in a review for this chapter.**


	25. This Ends Now!

**It's the chapter a lot of you having been waiting for. The chapter when Ganondorf faces against Team Outcast.**

**RS: OH YEAH!**

**Naruto: Bring it!**

**Link: This should be good**

**Arashen: I look forward to seeing this fight.**

**Arren: This is going to be fun.**

**LR: Damn straight! Thanks again to Allan for all his work on this story with me. Now, if you remember last time, Team Outcast was about to face the jounin, who shape shifted in enemies from Twilight Princess**. **Two things. These guys can shape shift into any creature, so they are not limited to ones I have all ready mentioned.**

**Two, they are not immortal. They just have increased healing rates, like Naruto does, thanks to Kyuubi. Anyways, here .... we..... GO!**

**(B/N: I, Allan Pike, Feline Lone Wolf, apologize for any frustration caused by my beta block.)**

**(A/N: And I say that if anyone gives him grief about it, I'll be sorely disappointed in those who do.)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Legend of Zelda, Arren Pikku Uzumaki, Eflower Angelius, or any jutsu to whom I give props to someone else for.

* * *

**Chapter 25**

**This Ends Now!**

The four jounin finished their transformations into their chosen creature like forms. One had grown several feet taller, and had become incased in ebon black armor. He carried a round metal shield, that was half black, and half tan brown. He carried a huge, slightly curved blade in his other hand, and a straight bladed long sword at his sword.

Another jounin had morphed into a dinosaur like lizard, which stood on two clawed feet. He was about two feet taller than Arren, and carried a silver dome shield in one hand, and a single bladed axe, with the ax blade being slightly squared. He was covered in armor from top of his snout, to the end of his tail, which had two spikes on each side. His chest and belly wasn't armored though.

The third had become skeletal, with strange, glowing green eyes. He had pauldrons on his bony shoulders, and carried a buckler shield made out of dense bone, and large blade which bulged at the end, creating a weird, club like look to the blade.

The last one turned into a lizard like creature as well. Unlike the other one, he was about as tall as Naruto and Link. He had little armor, except for a metal skull cap, and a round shield. He carried a rapier like long sword in one hand. And, he had a pair of wings.

Link simply had a stunned look on his face, as he was facing enemies he had never hoped to meet again. Everyone else was apprehensive. Naruto looked over his shoulder at Link.

"What do we do? You're the expert here."

Link shook his head to clear it. "Okay, the giant armored one there is a DarkNut. You have to knock all that armor off him, only then you can actually hurt him. The other armored one is a Dynafos. That armor is really strong, so it's best to counter attack, instead of attacking. The other one with wings is an Aerafos, and mostly sticks to swooping down with his sword to kill you."

"I'll handle the flying one." Eflower said softly, readying her blade. Next to her, Arren locked onto his target. "I'll handle the Dyna. He shouldn't be able to keep up with my speed." The warrior's weights had long since been taken off.

Nodding in agreement, Link looked at the skeletal warrior. "I guess I should take the Stalfos."

"So that leaves us with the DarkNut." Naruto said, as he and Hinata looked up at the imposing figure. With that, the five of them leapt into action.

_Arren and Eflower Vs Dynafos and Aerafos_

Arren and Eflower mimicked each other, by charging forward with blades at the ready. The Aerafos leapt into the air, hovering as it waited for the angel to come to it. The Dynafos dug in, his shield ready to block Arren's first strike. But there are no certainties in battle, except that someone will die. And what happened next proved that point.

The fighting pair didn't share a glance, as their thought were on the same level, and they both knew what the other would do. Their union in battle was almost at it's highest possible point, as they performed a very unorthodox maneuver. They both jumped, with Eflower jumping higher. She landed on Arren's back, and used him as a springboard to leap higher, and increase her speed. In doing so, she helped the last Pikku blast towards the ground, and his opponent. They both reached their opponents at the same time, and both appeared in the same place. Behind their opponents.

Arren landed on his hands, using his arms to transfer the energy he gained from his fall into a powerful double kick to the Dynafo's back, launching the armored lizard into the air. Eflower twisted as she shot past the Aerafos, her right foot slamming into the lizard's back. The two shape shifting lizards headed straight towards each other.

With a sickening crunch, they collided, hanging in the air for a second, before gravity sent them crashing into the ground. The momentum from the two kicks sent them skidding, causing sparks to come off the Dynafos armor, adding to the damage of the attack. Eventually, they stopped, and both lizards managed to get to their feet. Hissing in anger, they struck back.

The Dynafos charged Arren, it's ax held high above it's head, ready to be brought down in a vicious swing. The Aerafos surged into the air, it's sword held low for an uppercut swing. Arren readied himself for the attack. "Is that all you got?" He said, as he dodged to one side, avoiding the ax swinging down at him. He snapped his leg up in a kick at the Dynafos chin, but the armored lizard blocked it with his shield. An act which threw the Pikku warrior off balance. The Dynafos quickly whipped it's bladed tail around, intent on slicing Arren. "How do you move so fast?!" Arren yelled, as he jumped to escape the attack.

However, he wasn't able to jump high enough. The tail clipped his foot, and while it wasn't enough to damage him, it did send him off balance, so instead of landing, he crashed into the ground. Ironically, this helped the Pikku, as the Dynafos followed up with a shield bash. The attack, which would have caused a fair amount of damage, sailed over Arren, throwing the Dynafos off balance. Arren kicked at the lizard, before rolling away, and getting to his feet.

Up in the air, Eflower hovered, waiting for her opponent to reach her. While she did, she began channeling the power of her people. She drew on the angel power in her, and into her left hand. In her right hand, she held her white long sword, a weapon that all angels, and even outcast angels could summon. A sword that was stronger than any weapon a mortal could make.

With a hideous screech, the Aerafos swung it's sword upwards, only for the angel to release a short blast of energy. The action forced the angel out of the swords way, and the Aerafos path. It couldn't stop, as it shot pass Eflower, only for the outcast angel to grab its tail.

Angel energy heals those that are good, and damage, or kill those that are evil. And a shape shifting creature possessing a body was considered evil. The Aerafos screeched out as the energy in Eflower's left hand burned its tail. Taking a firm hold, she twisted around, throwing the Aerafos at the Dynafos. But as she threw him, her sword came up, and slicing through scales, and leaving a shallow cut from snout to tail.

The armored lizard glanced upwards when it heard it's companion scream in pain. In doing so, he had plenty of time to dodge aside. The Aerafos crashed into the ground with sickening crunch. The Dynafos glared at the flying healer, roaring as it smashed it's tail into the ground. It ripped up a boulder, which it flung at Eflower while still roaring. Eflower didn't make a move, as Arren was performing two series of one handed seals with each hand. He finished with Naruto's favorite seal. The warrior said no words, as the rock exploded.

Normally, rocks explode into a wide area, and the shards rip into anything with in that area. But that was normal exploding rocks. This rock was the target of a brand new jutsu, made up on the spot by the last Pikku. It had no name, or rank. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a deadly attack. For the shards of the rock were directed at the two lizards. And for each shard, nine solid copies appeared, increasing the amount of shards almost ten fold. Smiling, Arren sent the two shards raining down on the two lizards.

The Dynafos quickly set his back to the shards, bending it's back, and lowering it's head, thus covering himself, and covering the Aerafos from the attack. It mostly worked. The rock shards and shadow clone shards just impacted against the metal of his armor, and shattered or disappeared into smoke. A few that were aimed outside the Dynafos gave the Aerafos a few flesh wounds. The Dynafos roared again as it turned, except a huge torrent of mud came out of it's mouth, and turned into a dragon, which launched a river of mud at Arren.

"Missed!" Arren yelled, as he dodged to one side. Eflower smiled as she finished her own hand signs. Using the water from the mud, she created a huge, angelic water dragon at the two lizards. The Aerafos, bearing a few flesh wounds from the few shards that had gotten past the Dynafos, leapt into the air, while the Dynafos got blasted back against the wall. The Aerafos hurled itself at Eflower. He smashed into her, driving her into the wall, as it rebounded off, and back into the air.

"**HEY!**" Arren, yelled, going demonic at the sight of his girlfriend getting hurt. "**Die you damn lizard!**" The warrior roared, as he whipped Ikou around, the red chain ripping into the flesh of the Aerafos as it wrapped around it. He yanked back on it, bringing the shape shifter to him. He let go of the chain with one hand, and delivered a powerful right hook to it's jaw. The Aerafos went flying, but as Ikou went taunt, Arren whipped it around, so the Aerafos smashed into the Dynafos. The bladed chained locked with the Dynafos armor, swinging them both around. He yanked on the chain, pulling both the lizard creatures from another realm to him. He side stepped as he released the chain, and kicked both of the lizards into the air. Eflower suddenly appeared, using the Dynafos as a platform, as she launched up, and delivered a front kick to the Aerafos. The flying lizard crashed into the crater Eflower had been, while the Dynafos crashed into a crater of it's own.

_Link vs Stalfos_

Link charged forward, his sword meeting the Stalfos blade. The two struggled for a moment, Links face inches from the skull of the Stalfos. Then they broke apart. Link slashed at the Stalfos, only for it to block with it's shield. He then moved to use a skill that had always worked in the past. He bashed the Stalfos with his shield, the leapt up, ready to perform the Helm splitter. But somehow, the Stalfos actually blocked his sword. He landed, and barely blocked a downward swing with his shield.

_What is going on? There's no way he should have moved that fast._ Link and the Stalfos continued to trade blows, which just confimred Link's fears. This Stalfos was a lot stronger than the ones before. He grunted as he dodged another sword slash, only to yell out as the hilt of the sword crashed into his stomach. He crashed into the ground, rolling several times, before he got back up. He quickly got to one knee, and looked up. He yelled again as he raised the Master Sword to block another downward strike. He managed to get back up to his feet, but was backed against the wall. He blocked a few more strikes, but then a heavy blow knocked the Master Sword from his hand. He quickly blocked more attacks with his Hylian Shield, but then, it was knocked aside to. Link dodged to one side, and reached behind his back. As the Stalfos approached him, it swung downwards. There was a clang, as Link held up his hands, which held both the axes he had gotten since arriving in Konoha. They had formed an X, catching the blade below the blades of the axes, on the metal handles.

Link twisted to the side, before shoving the Stalfos with his shoulder. He started swinging at the Stalfos, always having one ax on attack, and the other to block. He suddenly struck low, catching the Stalfos on the back of it's ankle with the handle of one of his axes, and tripping it. He spun both axes, before driving down into the ground, pinning the Stalfos at it's arms. He retrieved his shield and sword, before heading back towards the pinned Stalfos.

_Naruto and Hinata vs Darknut _

Naruto charged forward. The Darknutgrunted as he swung his sword down at Naruto, who dodged to the side, then ran up the back of the blade. He jumped off the blade, and smashed his fist right across the Draknut's helmet. The armored warrior stumbled slightly as Naruto landed. But as he straightened up, Hinata's staff struck him in the helmet, knocking it off. Underneath was a type of second helmet, that was like a half cylinder with breathing holes. Hinata held her staff defensively, as the Darknut turned to her, and readied to strike down at her, only for the arm with the heavy blade to be restrained by a dozen Naruto's. While that was happening, a dozen more began pummeling the Darknut, trying to remove more pieces of the bulky, heavy armor. A few pieces, including the shield, were ripped away, before the Darknut roared out, and threw the Naruto clones everywhere. He turned, swinging his sword at Naruto, only to miss him by inches. But then a large, armored fist smashed into the side of Naruto's head, sending him flying.

As Naruto crashed into a wall, Hinata did a series of one handed seals, before grabbing the staff again. She closed her eyes, as the staff became covered in lightning. She swung hard at the Darknut, knocking off one of the pieces of armor and delievering a shock to the Darknut. She swung again, only for her staff to be grabbed by he Darknut. He lifted her up, and swung her around, flinging her into another wall. Hinata hit it, and slowly fell to the ground.

The Darknut turned in time for Naruto to ram a Rasengan into his chest. The remaining pieces of armor blew off, as the Darknut crashed into a wall, creating a huge crater. Naruto sighed, as he went over to Hinata, who was moaning slightly as she started to get up.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he helped her up. She nodded, and gave him a small smile. It suddenly vanished, as her eyes widened, and she grabbed him. She yanked him down, as the huge sword crashed into the wall above their heads. They both turned to see the Darknut, now free of it's armor. It looked like it was covered in some type of metal cloth, as it grabbed the long sword from it's side, and held it in one hand, ready to fight. Naruto pulled out Izou, as Hinata readied her staff. With a nod to each other, they charged.

_Arren and Eflower vs Dynafos and Aerafos_

The Dyanfos slowly crawled out of the crater it was in, while the Aerafos weakly flapped out of it's crater, and landed on it's knees.

"**Seems they can't take much more of this.**" The demonic Arren said to his flying girlfriend. That was before the dark power enveloped the two lizards. Their wounds began to heal, and they got back to their feet, their eyes blazing with power. With a roar, the Dynafos charged Arren, faster than before, while the Aerafos leapt back into the air, heading straight towards Eflower. The Dyanfos leapt into the air, ready to swing his ax down at Arren, while the Aerafos flapped up to Eflower, it's sword poised to strike.

Suddenly, there was a poof of smoke, and Eflower was the one falling at Arren. He caught her bridal style, while the Dynafos crashed into the Aerafos. Eflower gave Arren a mischievous look, as she pecked him on the cheek. But both were suddenly blinded by a burst of dark energy coming off the two lizards. When their eyes cleared, they looked up. The Aerafos and Dynafos were gone, replaced by a new creature. A large dragon, about twice the size of the Dynafos, hovered above them. It was a thin creature, covered in midnight black armor from wing to wing, and snout to tail, which had a heavy mace like attachment on the end of it. It also had two curved horns coming off the head plate. It gave out a loud roar, before swooping down at them.

(A/N: To you Twilight Princess Players out there, yes it is. It's a scaled down version of the dragon Argarok, the boss of the Sky Temple. With a couple of modifications.)

"**EASY!**" Arren shouted, as he skipped to one side, letting the dragon and its sharp talons fly past. "**Still, I won't be able to do much damage on the ground, and the others might get hurt by that thing.**" The warrior, said, as he gently set Eflower on the ground.

"**That **means," He let go of Haiya's power, "I'll have_ to go angel._" He finished, as the transformation became complete. The armor had changed, just like it had when he used Haiya's power. Now, the yellow coloring of the armor was pure white, and was covered in runes that echoed with ancient and holy power. The helmet had grown a face guard, like in demon form, but it now looked like it was glowing with light. The blade shields had merged with the armor, and he now held the thin, white chain known as Chisoku.

"_Let's take this to the air!_" He shouted, as he unfolded his six wings, and with Eflower, took off after the dragon.

The dragon had been turning around, barely missing the wall with its left wing as it turned to the right. But it turned it's head enough to see Arren and Eflower. It roared again, as it let loose a jet of fire at them from it's mouth.

"_Woah!_" Arren yelled, as both he and Eflower dived out of the way of the flames. Unfortunately, both their feet got singed. The dragon roared as it dived down at Eflower, it's greater weight making it fall faster. Eflower just smiled as she replaced herself with the dragon, and it crashed into the ground.

Or, that was her intent. The replacement worked, except the dragon merely landed, and ran, leaping into the air again with a roar. Eflower cursed, but then smiled as she saw she had the height advantage. She dived down, her blade drawn, and landed on the back of the dragon.

Almost immediately, it began bucking it's long narrow back, trying to shake her off. She grabbed onto one of the armored plates, and held on, looking for a weak spot in the armor.

Above, Arren watched in pride and amazement as his girlfriend stayed on the dragons back. "_Wait to go E!_" He shouted. Eflower finally found an opening, and slowly pulled herself towards it. When she reached it, she held her sword up, and drove it in between the armored plates. The dragon roared out, and rolled over. Eflower managed to puller her blade out, but the force of freeing her sword, and the roll, made her lose her grip. She tumbled off the dragons back, and rolled through the air, before she managed to straighten herself out. Arren smiled as he devised his own plan, and got ready.

_Naruto and Hinata vs Darknut_

Naruto cursed as he stepped back, barely avoidingblade swung at him. The Draknut was faster, and even more so after Hinata managed to get a lucky it, and break it's leg. Than this dark energy had enveloped it, and the leg had healed almost instantly. Now, it was faster, and the blows felt stronger as Naruto blocked them. But the skill seen before was gone. Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration.

_Link Vs Stalfos_

Before Link could finish the Stalfos, it unleashed a wave of dark energy, sending the twin axes flying. Now, it was back on it's feet, and ready to fight. Ad now, it was faster and stronger. But it's all ready poor skills, even if they were better than most Stalfos, were worse. Link was able to dodge and block easily. The problem was all his attacks just simply seemed to be healed after he made them. He grunted in frustration as he pressed a new assault.

Neither Naruto and Hinata, or Link, noticed that their attacks were pushing their enemies towards each other. Link managed to get a burst of speed, and trip the Stalfos.

Hinata struck low at the Darknut's legs, while Naruto struck high, knocking the warrior back.

The two struck each other, and there was a flash of dark energy, which blinded the three of them. When they were able to see, they gaped in horror. Where once two enemies had been, now hovered one. A giant being, clothed in a robe that seemed to end in smoke. His hands were skeletal, and clutched a huge cleaving blade made out of dark metal, and covered in glowing red runes. The head was skeletal as well, with a pointed snout, slanted, glowing red eyes, and two horns growing out to the side.

"Death Sword." Link uttered in horror. The giant skeletal figure seemed to smile, before phasing out of the visible spectrum, except it's sword. Hinata activated her Byakugan, but couldn't see anything. "Link, what is this?!" She yelled.

"Death Sword. A ghost warrior of great evil, who protected a weapon in the Arbiter Grounds back in Hyrule. Right now, he is invisible, but if we can sense him and hurt him, he will re-appear."

Naruto watched the movement of the sword carefully, as it slowly hovered there. Then it suddenly raised up. "LOOK OUT!" He shouted, as the three of them dodged the attack. Link immediately turned, and slashed at where he thought the figure to be, only to miss.

"This was easier when I could turn into a wolf!" He shouted, as the sword came back up, and twisted around, coming to slash at them horizontally. They ducked under it, as it swept over head. Naruto struck out, but like Link, hit nothing.

_There has to be something we can do!_ He thought.

"**Naruto! We need to find him! Use my chakra as a pulse!**" Daini yelled to Naruto. Naruto concentrated on the chakra flowing through him, and using the chakra of the former Kyuubi, unleashed a pulse of chakra. Almost immediately, he "felt" a figure ahead and to the left of him. With a yell, he threw a kunai with an explosive tag at the figure. The kunai missed, but the explosion caused a smoke screen, which outlined the Death Sword. Link jumped at it, and slashed it with the Master Sword. The creature howled, as it came back into sight. But now, it glared at them, as it hovered into the air, above their reach.

"Things just got worse." Naruto said, as they prepared for the next fight.

_Arren and Eflower vs Argarok_

Eflower rolled again in the air, as she dodged another wind blast. The dragon had taken up position with it's back to wall, and began using its wings and firebreath to keep Eflower at bay_. _But it had forgotten about Arren, who had moved behind a pillar, and clung to it, after signaling Eflower what he was , while she kept the dragons attention, he moved around behind it.

He smiled as he pulled out Chisoku, and began to twirl around above his head. And then he swung it forward at the back of the dragon. It wrapped around it's neck, and locked into place.

The dragon roared out, and twisted to try and get at Arren. But Arren moved quickly, and landed on it's back. He held onto part of the chain with one hand, while he twirled the other end of the blade chained with the other, and swung it down. The blades of the chain ripped into the armor plates, and he yanked them off, revealing the base of the dragons neck. The dragon was still bucking around, and almost through Arren off. But he managed to regain his balance, as he summoned a long blade to the armor around his free hand. With a yell, he plunged it into the open area, and the dragon let out a pain filled roar, as it fell towards the ground. Arren leapt off, loosening the chain, so it coiled around his armored chest.

_Naruto, Hinata, and Link vs Death Sword_

Link fired another arrow, only for it to be blocked by the sword the ghost warrior held. He just couldn't bring the thing down for them to destroy. And when Naruto had tried to use an enhanced jump, he had almost been cut it half by the attack. Now they were busy trying to bring the thing down, while avoiding it's swooping sword attacks.

Inside Naruto, Daini was going over every jutsu and skill she knew. There had to be something that would work! And then she remembered.

"**Naruto! We need to use my power! About four tails worth should it!** **Then use this!**" She mentally shared what she was thinking, and Naruto smiled, as her power flowed over him, and four tails of chakra enveloped him. He performed the hand signs, then slammed his hands on the ground. "**Biju art, Constricting Chains!**"

Suddenly, chains made out of pure energy shot out of the ground, and wrapped around the Death Sword. It let out a howl as it fell to the floor, where Link waited. He drove the Master Sword right through its head.

The creature howled, as it dispersed into hundreds of flies, which were then blown away as the dragon hit the ground, where it exploded into smoke and flames.

Arren and Eflower both landed next to the group. Arren released his angel powers, and Eflower withdrew her wings, while Naruto, Hinata, and Link recovered kunai, arrows, and Link's axes. Everyone was showing some signs of fatigue. For Arren and Naruto, the stamina freaks, they were panting lightly and sweating slightly. Both Eflower and Hinata were panting heavily, and had sat down. Link was in between. He had high endurance, because he was running around herding goats, and slaying monsters and evil wizards for a living. But he didn't have a demoness of near infinite chakra, or a demon who was half wolf inside of him. So he was panting less than the girls, but more than Arren and Naruto.

Naruto passed out soldier pills to everyone but Link, who he gave water mixed with a special herb to help regain lost stamina. Another of Hinata's special medical creations. After they had rested for a few minute's, Naruto stood up. "Everyone ready?"

They all nodded, and proceeded down the path Ganondorf had gone. Now, the halls were well lit, and the walls and columns were made from marble. Their footsteps echoed through the hall, until they finally arrived.

It was a large room, vast, bigger than the arena in Konoha. But unlike the hall they had been in, it had fallen into ruin. The ceiling had holes in it, through which sunlight streamed. Vines, moss, and mold had taken root into the walls. Some of the columns lining the room were broken, and debris lay everywhere. And in the center was what they had been looking for. Naruto and Link recognized it instantly. A golden orb, which swirled with images of other worlds and realms.

"This is it." Link said, as he stepped forward. But as he set a foot down, a seal suddenly popped up on the ground. IT glowed a dark purple, before enveloping the entire group in an energy bubble. Naruto threw himself at the bubble, only to get sent flying back with a shock.

"It's always good, to cover your tracks." Ganondorf said, as he appeared from behind a column. "Even if my minions were strong, Link has proved very resourceful. So I decided to leave behind a little.... "insurance". It's a good thing I did."

The Gerudo thief approached them. "Now, you will watch, as I travel back to the beginning of Hyrule, and claim what is rightfully mine!"

Link yelled, as he bashed a fist against the wall of the energy bubble. "Don't count on it! I'll stop you like I did before!"

Ganondorf smirked. "Brave words. But there is no way to escape this trap. No human can match my new found power!"

Arren snarled, as he started a jutsu, only to be stopped by Eflower's hand on his shoulder. "Don't waste your energy." Then she slowly walked forward. She hesitantly reached out, then placed a hand on the bubble wall. Her hand wnet through, soon followed by the rest of her. Ganondorf backed up in amazement.

"How? How did you do that?!"

Eflower slowly unfolded her wings. "I'm not human." Then she drew her sword, and leapt at him. Ganondorf quickly blocked her sword with a kunai hidden up the sleeve of the Tscuhikage's body. Eflower twisted to the side, and tried to kick Ganondorf.

(A/N: Okay, for the moment, Ganondorf is still in the Tsuchikage's body. Remember that.)

Ganondorf grabbed her foot with his free hand, and threw her to one side. Eflower slammed into a wall, and slumped to the floor. Getting to one knee, she gathered her energy, and unleashed a beam of angelic energy. Ganondorf gathered his dark magic around one of his fists, and slammed it into the ground, creating a wall of earth, reinforced by the dark magic. The angelic beam glanced off it. Ganondorf then sent the dark magic earth wall at Eflower. Eflower jumped to one side, but the wall managed to clip her legs, causing her to crash into the ground, as she cried out in pain.

In the bubble, Arren watched helplessly, as Ganondorf approached Eflower. The "Tscuhikage" began performing hand signs, creating several large wolves out of stone, which leapt at Eflower. She managed to regain her footing, and readied her sword. The first wolf leapt at her, and she dodged by twisting to one side, her sword cutting through it. Another lost it's head, before two more jumped at her. She managed to stab one through the head, but the other's "claws" left several scratches on her face. She hit it with a blast of angel energy, before taking out the last wolf, by jumping over it, and slashing it along it's back. But as she landed, Ganondorf appeared in front of her, a fist heading for her face. The fist smashed into her face, sending her crashing into a column. Ganondorf moved towards her, only to stop at the sound of Arren's voice.

"HEY! Why don't you try picking on someone your own size, you gutless, ass wiping, coward!"

"Your time will come. But not before her's." Ganondorf said, silently deciding to torture Arren as much as possible.

"C'mon E! You can do it!" Arren yelled, as Eflower struggled back to her feet. Ganondorf laughed.

"Don't be absurd. This pathetic girl can't do anything, but provide me with some enjoyment before I kill all of you."

"You're wrong! She's far stronger than you think, and I know she'll kick your ass!" Arren yelled. Eflower slowly stood back on her feet, and readied her sword for the next attack.

_I won't lose. I can't. Everyone is depending on me._

Ganondorf merely smirked, before using the Tscuhikage's powers to summon a sword of stone, and charged at her, swinging at her head. Eflower dodged to the side, knocking the sword away with her own. The two traded sword attacks for several minutes, Eflower using her speed and skill against Ganondorf's strength, and his own obvious skill. Suddenly, Ganondorf dispelled the sword, as he leapt back, and ran through a series of hand signs.

"**Earth Style, Rhino Quake!**" He yelled, before smashing a fist into the ground. It caused a huge earthquake, like a giant rhino had smashed itself against the ground. The ground split, heading towards Eflower. Eflower jumped over the rip in the earth, leaving her open to what happened next. A barrage of boulders flew through the air towards her, sent by Ganondorf. She managed to dodge them, only to miss the kunai in the middle of the boulders, which nailed her in the chest. A slow, fatal wound.

She hit the ground, as Arren just stared in disbelief. Ganondorf slowly approached her. "You see? You were weak. You never had a chance of defeating me, or saving your friends. Now, you will die. But don't worry. Your friends will be there to greet you." He turned to the others, deciding on finishing them first.

_I've failed. _All Eflower could see was darkness, and all she could here were her own thoughts. _Is this it? Is this the end? Arren.... Onbin..... Haiya..... Naruto .....Hinata..... Link_ _..... their going to die because I failed. Konoha.... all of it will be destroyed. Orochimaru was right. I am weak.... _The Outcast's thoughts faded into silence as she awaited her end. But then, a voice in her said one final word.

_No. _The power behind this one thought was more than even Ganondorf could imagine, for he never felt the will to protect others. _No, I will not let them fall! Failure is not an option! I can't fail! I don't care what happens to me! He has to be stopped! I can't fail!_

"_**Then you shall not.**_" A new voice spoke, one with infinite power, wisdom, and mercy. And with that voice, a surge of power poured through Eflower. Power she had not felt in a long time. The power of a four winged angel.

Laughing, the 'Tscuhikage' advanced at the trapped team. "Now DIE!" He roared, as he summoned a giant sword made of stone. With an evil grin, he lifted it into the air. He prepared to bring the sword down on Hinata, only to be knocked forward by a blast of light. Since Ganondorf was inhabiting what might be considered a dead body, he went through the barrier, only to get knocked back out with several of his chakra points sealed shut. Shimmering in anger, Ganondorf, the king of the Gerudo thieves turned to see what had knocked him forward, only to physically balk at the sight of the glowing healer. On her back, her pair of brown wings had extended, along with four snow white wings.

"_Prepare to face a true champion of light, gifted my Kami himself._" She said, in a voice that echoed with her new found power.

Ganondorf roared as he charged at Eflower. "It doesn't matter what you are! I will destroy you!"

Suddenly, a giant lizard tail swept from out of nowhere, and smashed into Ganondorf's gut, sending him crashing into a wall. The Dark Wizard Thief looked up, his eyes widening. Crouched protectively behind Eflower was a huge, golden scaled dragon. From snout to tail, the dragon had to be almost forty feet. It's wings, when extended, would have been almost it's own body length. It let out a snarl, a smoke rolled out from in between it's fangs. Naruto and Arren both knew who it was in an instant.

"Ryuuwaizu." Naruto whispered.

"The Wise Dragon." Arren explained to Hinata and Link. "He is the leader of the dragon tribes."

Ganondorf snarled in anger. "So, you need a dragon to fight me?!"

The dragon snorted, sending flames racing towards the Demon Thief, forcing him to dive out of the way.

"_**I am not here to fight you, mortal. I am here to give a gift to Eflower Angelius. Her inner strength summoned Kami himself, and for that, she has earned our blessings.**_" The great golden dragon lowered it's head, till it's eyes were level with the angel's.

"_**Our gift to you.**_" Ryuuwaizu said, before he touched his snout gently against the healer's sword. When he did so, an orange spark ran up the blade. "_**There are not many weapons that equal Ryuushikon.**_"

After saying these words, the wise dragon left, leaving Eflower to appreciate her new sword. It was orange, the blade seeming to appear from the mouth of a gaping dragon that was the hilt guard. She slowly held it up, examining the light playing off it, before looking at Ganondorf.

Ganondorf glared at her, as he summoned a new earth blade, his magic opening the closed chakra points on his system. "Do not believe that your fancy sword will best me, girl. I know far more than you do." With that, he lunged at Eflower, the sword hardening into diamond.

Eflower swung Ryuushikon down, the sword obliterating the diamond blade. She punched Ganondorf in the face, followed by a blast of angel energy. Ganondorf was blasted into a wall, where he fell down onto one knee. He looked up, the Tscuhikage's eyes flashing golden, as he ripped a boulder form the ground, and threw it at her, followed by a blast of dark magic. Eflower sliced the boulder in two, and countered the dark magic with her angelic energy.

Ganondorf rose to his feet, his face unreadable. "I underestimated you. But now, you will face the full strength of my power, and this bodies power."

Eflower raised an eyebrow, and asked, "_Should I be scared? You haven't seen the full power of an angel._"

Ganondorf roared, as he slammed his fist into the ground, causing a wave of dark magic enhanced rock to ripple towards Eflower. Eflower jumped over the wave of earth, only to be surprised by a second wave of dark energy sent at her. Eflower wrapped her self in her six wings, and the dark energy deflected off of them. Ganondorf growled, as he concentrated all his dark aura around his "body". He smirked as he looked up at her.

"You want to know how I easily beat you before? The answer is simple. This aura I have slows down every single thing you have. The more magic I pour into it, the more it slows you down!" And with those words, he leapt at her, moving at increased speed. And yet, Eflower easily dodged to one side, blasting Ganondorf in the back. As he crashed into the ground, Eflower shook her head.

"That won't work against me. You're aura is supposed to oppress my senses, slow my mind and reactions. But my the energy flowing through me cancels it out. You are outclassed, as long as you remain in that body."

Ganondorf turned, fury on his face. "I am never out classed!" He roared, as a giant dragon of dark energy rose off him. It glared at Eflower, before blasting at her, roaring again.

Eflower summoned a dragon of her own, made of pure white angel energy. Her dragon roared, and clashed with the dark one, destroying both.

"_Your time in that body has long since ended, Ganondorf. THIS ENDS NOW!_" All angels have the power to send one in pain to death's embrace. Now Eflower was using it to destroy the Tscuhikage's body, shattering his final mortal bond. The battle field was enveloped in white light and smoke, as the attack struck.

* * *

**Sorry about the wait, but here it is. Next chapter, will good or evil triumph? You'll have to wait and see.**

**AP: Don't worry, we'll do everything we can to make the final battle to come epic.**

**LR: Got that right.**


	26. The Legend Ends

**Good VS Evil. That is what this chapter is about. And finally, you all will know. Will the ****heroes****of Konoha and Hyrule win? Or will evil triumph, and spread darkness all over world? It's time to find out!**

**AP: Just a sec. *Press button. Rising Fighting Spirit begins to play loudly***

**Naruto: Hey… I recognize that music… Where you get that?**

**AP: Youtube.**

**Naruto: Huh? What-**

**AP: Don't ask.**

Disclaimer: I do not –

**AP: ENOUGH WITH THE **_**beep**_**ING DISCLAIMERS! LETS HURRY UP AND KILL THAT **_**beep**_**ING **_**beep beep beep**_**HOLE GANONDORK**!

* * *

**Chapter 26**

**The Legend Ends**

Slowly, the smoke from the explosion began to clear. Once all of the smoke had trailed away, Eflower was revealed. The angel was kneeling on the ground, panting hard. Her wings where also slumped, showing how much that attack had drained her. The Healer of Team Outcast glanced towards the direction that Ganondorf had been, and sighed in relief as she spotted the unmoving form one the ground.

_Finally, it is over. _Eflower sighed, allowing herself to sit back, against the wall behind her, lower her head, and close her eyes. However, they snapped open a log time before they should opened, as the angel heard a sound she thought she would never hear again. She first heard the noise while fighting the wizard, and she knew that only he could make it.

Eflower did not need to look in order to know what was happening. The prone figure had become surrounded by a dark aura, this one more powerful than the last. Slowly, but surely, the wizard climbed to his feet. And only when he was standing on his own two feet once more, did the angel lift her head in order to see her enemy.

The Healer's attack worked, and the Tscuhikage's body was no more. But all that had done was release Ganondorf's true form. Now his cape fluttered in an unseen wind, power oozing out of every part of his body. The wizard's golden eyes gleamed with power that he had not shown before. Slowly the body thief raised a fist, to show Eflower the back of his hand. On it was the imprint of three triangles, that together formed the shape of a pyramid. The top triangle glowed gold with power. For it was the Triforce of Power.

"Did you really think that pathetic attack was enough to stop me?" Ganondork sneered. "I have to admit, it took me by surprise that anybody was capable of destroying that body. But it proved itself a useful shield." Slowly the wizard moved forward, his hand going down to rest on the hilt of a glowing sword sheathed at his side. "I see that you used practically all your power to wipe that body out. I may no loner be able to use this 'chakra'. But now my _true power_ can be fully unleashed."

Slowly, the wizard drew the sword from its scabbard, revealing it to be a white long sword. Still moving forwards, he gripped the blade with both hands. Once the sword glowed with a pure, white light. However Ganondorf had tainted the blade, causing the glow to dull, and create an aura around it remarkably similar to the one surrounding him. The wizard then held the sword up, as dark magic began to crackle along its surface.

"You are beginning to annoy me. And do you know what I do with annoyances? I erase them. And now it's is time for you to be erased. **NOW DIE!**"The last words were a powerful roar as the wizard brought the blade down, Unleashing a powerful wave of dark magic at the slumped angel.

Eflower watched as the attack came closer. She knew that all her energy had been spent destroying the Tscuhikage's body. There was nothing left for her to do except close her eyes and wait for her death.

But that was not to be, as there was a dull thud as a magic blade hit the attack, deflecting it into the nearby walls. In amazement the angel opened her eyes. Standing directly in front of her was her savior, more times then once.

Arren had borrowed the Master Sword, and easily stopped his girlfriend from being killed by the wizard. With a smile, the Senshi asked.

"You okay E?" Returning the smile, the healer nodded while Ganondorf looked on in amazement.

"How did you get free? You should still be in my trap!"

"You underestimated us." Was the Pikku's response as he tossed the Master Sword back to it's rightful owner. Easily Link caught it, and as he did, the green-clad hero yelled.

"Next time you want to borrow the Master Sword, just ask!"

"But I did!"

"Right, as if speaking so fast I can't understand you is asking if you could borrow it." Link said as he slid into his battle stance. Next to him, his two Shinobi friends where also ready to fight, their weapons in their hands.

"When Eflower used that attack, some of her energy hit that magic bubble you trapped us in, disrupting it and allowing Hinata to destroy it." When he knew this, the wizard growled.

"Well, it seems that you-" Here Ganondorf pointed at Arren. "were right. But that doesn't matter, for none of you have the power to stop me!" Then, his dark aura pulsed. Before it started to condense itself into a shield. When it had finished, a purple - yet transparent – half dome was in front of him.

"Bring it!" Naruto yelled, as he charged forwards with his most powerful attack. "**Rasengan**!" The attack cannoned straight into the shield, but the black-clad Shinobi was blown right back. The barrier hadn't wavered one single bit.

"He's gotten stronger." Link said, looking at the dome. "He wasn't able to create any shield when I fought him before, and that Ganondorf had fed of the anguish of the Twili."

"That pitiful energy?" The wizard sneered. "I felt it, but it was nothing compared to the energy I fed off of while trapped in the Nexus. I fed off the anguish, fear, pain, anger, and hatred of hundreds of thousands of beings from dozens of different realms. My power has never been stronger!" Ganondorf's laughter echoed through the massive hall.

As the Wizard bragged about his power, the Senshi had prepared his own attack. With his trademark daredevil smile, the Pikku charged forwards. In his hands, where two spinning green balls of chakra. Nature chakra. As he sped towards his enemy, Arren merged the two balls into one, larger ball, then, he compressed it until it was just as big as his palm. "Seishitsu no Fungeki!" The Senshi roared, slamming his powerful attack into the shield.

For a few seconds, the force field strained against the attack. However, the Pikku was blown back, his attack not having enough power to punch through the dark magic. Skillfully, Arren flipped himself in mid air. Landing on his feet with the grace of the cat, and then skidded back a few feet.

Smirking, the wizard raised one hand. As he did so, a tentacle of energy grew from the force field, before swinging at Link and Hinata, who were still nearby. Hinata jumped over the attack, but Link was thrown against a wall. He slumped to the ground, coughing up blood.

"Okay... that was definitely new." the green clad hero muttered, heaving himself back onto his feet as he did. Link looked at Ganondorf's shield, before smiling. "With all this new stuff, it's only fair that I try something new myself!" With that, he reached into his pouch, and pulled out the massive iron ball and chain. He held our his left hand, and then slammed in into the ball, calling out "**Dins' Fire!**"

The point studded ball burst into flames, before Link pulled it up, and swung it around. Faster and faster it went, until he launched it with a yell. The flaming iron ball smashed into the force field, and the flames spread off it, but didn't penetrate the shield. The ball was thrown back, and Link jumped to one side, as the ball went sailing passed him. He slowly got up, only to be met with another tentacle, which the wizard had sent at him.

Right before it hit, Hinata's bo staff came down on it, smashing it into the ground, Hinata turned, adopting her stance for her modified version of the Hyuuga's signature attack. "**Eight Trigrams, Buin Sixty Four Strikes!**" She launched at the shield, landing blow after blow with her bo staff, disconnecting it to finish the combo. The shield stood firm, against the attack. Ganondorf sighed.

"Are you pathetic fleas done yet? I'm getting tired of all your pitiful attacks." The wizard then lashed out with a second tentacle. It smashed into Hinata full force, sending her on a crash course to a nearby wall. However, someone caught her before she cannoned into it. The heiress didn't even need to look down at the arms around her to know that is was her fiancé that had saved her.

Naruto gently set Hinata on her own two feet before he turned to Ganondorf. The wizard was mildly surprised at the new sight before him, and made a mental list at the changes._'Enlarged canine's. Wilder hair. Hair has reddish tint. Eye's now red and silted. Nails are now claws. Those 'whisker' marks are a lot more pronounced. And this 'chakra' of theirs is surrounding him. But its red and three tails of chakra are attached to him._' Ganondorf was brought back to reality when the black-clad Shinobi growled.

"**Let me show you the power that this 'flea' has!" **Naruto roared as he held out one hand. Purple chakra began to twirl into it, as the wind suddenly began to howl. As a miniature tornado swirled into the hand. With a feral grin, the black-clad Shinobi compressed the chakra into a spiraling ball. A demonic version of the famous Rasengan. However, once it was complete Naruto didn't go and attack. For he was not ready. The wind he had summoned, was also compressed, and formed into jagged, blood red wind blades. These blades spiraled around the Rasengan, forming into the demonic version of the completed Rasengan jutsu.

"**Fūuton: Akuma Rasenshuriken!" **The Namikaze roared as he charged at the wizard, his attack at the ready. It took only a moment for him to cross the room, and slam the Wind-and-Chakra Shuriken into the purple energy field.

For a few minutes, the attack and shield strained against each other. The shield actually started to buckle. Naruto, showing the Uzumaki trademark determination, pressed on his attack.

Snarling, the wizard threw up his hands, unleashing a powerful wave of magic from the shield. There was no chance for the black-clad Shinobi to dodge, and thus, was knocked flying. Cannoning right through one of the still-stand pillars. With an invisible sigh of relief, Ganondorf straightened himself.

"Well, well_. _You might just prove to be a worthy opposition. But, if that's all you got, I believe it'll be time for me to finish this."

"**Shut up!**" The Senshi roared, as he called upon his friend's power, radically changing as he did so. "**In combat, nothing is ****ever certain**_**. **_**A fight does not end ****until the ****last blow is dealt. ****And that will not ****be yours**_**. **_**I swear upon my very existence, ****that you shall fall this day!**"As the Pikku spoke_, _the wizard made a mental note of his changes.

'_Hmmm… lets see. His skin is now covered in dark yellow fur which is quite thick. With black spots appearing here and there. His canine's have also became fangs. Eyes have changed pretty much like the previous guy. But they're yellow instead of red. Ears are very strange… Long bushy tail as well. And that ain't all of it. His armor was once yellow plate with blue chain. But the chain is now navy in color. His helmet is now very feral with an added face guard. Last but not least, many runes cover the armor.' _

Then, Arren charged. Everybody was taken by surprise. Even Naruto, master of unpredictability, did not notice that while the Senshi was speaking, two balls of chakra had been formed in his hands_._The Pikku hadn't kept his hands still while talking. So how he managed to hide his custom Rasengan was anybodies guess_._

Like before, he merged the two spinning balls of chakra into one_. _And then compressed it until it was the size of his palm. However, it wasn't the forest green it was last time, but a much darker, deeper green.

"**Akuma Seishitsu no Fungeki!**"Arren thundered, as he drove his attack into the force-field. Immediately it started to started to buckle, dangerously bending towards Ganondorf. Still, the attack was not powerful enough to punch through the shield before the wizard sent of shockwave of magic from it.

The Senshi's legs absorbed most of the impact when he finally met the wall, but he was still painfully slammed against thetall, badly cracked surface. The Pikku then pitched forwards, landing on his hand knees, right next to his cousin.

"**Damn it, this isn't going well.**"Naruto growled, panting as he did so.

"**Tell me about it, I can't afford to go angel now. I've used up to much energy to use it effectively. As for that shield, well, even our most powerful attacks can only punch halfway through that shield alone…**"Arren trailed off,realizing just how they might be able to get through the force-field once and for all. The black-clad figured out the same thing at the exact same time. Both of them knew that each other had realized that they just might have a chance.

"**So, how should we do this?**"The Namikaze inquired as he stood up, gesturing that the Pikku should do the same.

"**Simple.**" Was Arren's confidant reply as he climbed to his feet. "**I'll summon a** **Shizen clone, and then we'll create two Akuma Rasenshuriken's, with added Nature chakra. Then, as I did for my attacks, we'll combine them, and then compress it. That okay with you?**" The black-clad Shinobi nodded, as he prepared his half of the attack.

The Senshi summoned a clone to the left of the Namikaze, before putting his hands above Naruto's right. The Pikku channeled nature chakra into the forming Rasenshuriken's. Mixing dark green with purple. Arren's clone was doing the same on the left. It was not long until two dark purple-green balls of chakra, surrounded by four blades of wind where resting on the black-clad Shinobi's hands.

"**You ready?" **The Senshi asked his cousin, who replied with a grin.

"**I was born ready." **And with that, the Namikaze slammed the two balls together. A powerful blast of wind howled through the room. As Naruto and Arren struggled to merge the two attacks.

"**Come on, damn it! Hurry up and combine!" **The Pikku growled, at the two chakra balls wavered, but Naruto reacted quickly and stabilized them. **"Concentrate on merging the attack, I'll stop them from blowing us to pieces." **The black-clad Shinobi nodded in response, and let his cousin completely take other the control.

It took awhile, but eventually the attack was complete. One dark purple-green ball of chakra sat between the two hero's hands. While eight blades of wind spun around it. Just before they where about to attack, The Namikaze had a thought.

"**Hey Arren."**

"**Yeah"**

"**What should we name the attack?**"

"**I've already thought of a name, and if you don't mind, I'll keep it to myself until we actually attack, which won't be long." **

"**Fine, shall we?"**

"**Lets.**"As one, the two Uzumaki's charged forwards at Naruto's top speed, as they shot towards Ganondorf, Arren roared.

"**Shugo Ryuu: Rasenshuriken Fungeki!**" The wizard reacted swiftly, channeling more magic into the force-field, reinforcing it for all it's worth. With a colossal boom, the two forces collided.

A huge cloud of dust swirled round all three of combatants as the wind tried to slice through the shield. For a long time they fought each other, sweat running down all of their faces. But the battle could only have one victor.

A monstrous roar echoed through out the temple as the room was filled with a blinding light. This was followed by a dynamic shockwave which scattered Team Outcast, slamming all four of them, plus Link, into the walls.

Most of the people there cannoned into the wall back first. But two people avoided that. Firstly, Link had his shield on his back, so he slammed into the wall shield first. Secondly, Arren flipped in mid-air, flew into to wall feet first. Then his backside.

"**Damn, I thought we had him that time!**"The Senshi said as the dust began to clear. His super-sharp hearing and caught six people breathing heavily, and it doesn't take a genius to work out that as there is five good guys, and one bad guy, the bad guy survived the attack.

"**Me to**"The black-clad Shinobi growled, glaring at the smirking wizard.

"Face it you pathetic pests. Your power isn't nearly enough to stop me." Ganondorf gloated as he strode arrogantly forwards. A chuckle emitted from the wizard's throat as he exclaimed. "I. Am. INVINCIBLE!" The chuckle was swiftly transformed into a full blown evil laugh. But while laughing, Ganondorf was struck with an idea. One that he decided to gloat about. This decision, sealed his fate.

"Death is too good for you lot now." The wizard said. "Once I have the complete Triforce, I shall take control of your pitiful bodies, and force you to serve me, you shall be the first, and most powerful of my minions. But unlike them, you'll still have your minds. At least, partly. You will be the ones that help me take control off all I want. And when I am finished, you will be nothing more the husks. For I shall take not just what you love, but every single thing from you!" Again, Ganondorf started to laugh, but then it froze as he throat constricted.

For the very first time in his life, the wizard felt fear, this killing intent was nothing that he had ever felt before. Dropping down onto one knee, Ganondorf stared with wide eyes at the fury before him. The Gekido no Arashi Yousoken

The KI that Arren was releasing was if the charts, Last time he flew into such a rage was in Oto. But this was different, vastly different. While facing Orochimaru, the rage was that of Nature, Demon, Angel and Man. But in this anger, there was no man.

"W-who … a-are … y-you."The wizards barely chocked out, falling down onto both knees at this power. All over the world, Shinobi and citizens alike did the same, frozen by sheer terror.

"_**I am, who I am. And nothing anybody ever does, can take that fact away." **_The anger that flowed through the Senshi's body, was not a burning, searing rage. For he had gone well past that, the anger was cold, silent. And a lot more deadly

(B/N. Don't worry, Arren isn't saying he's God. If you manage to figure out what he means, I'll let you have a character in the original story I'm co-authoring with Leafie!)

"_**Too long have you existed, brining nothing but pain and destruction wherever you exist, for no reason but to become more powerful. This is going to end." **_Without warning, the Pikku suddenly cut off the KI. Once it was gone, all those that had been affected rose to their feet. In all of the element nations, the Kage's sent their ANBU to find out what was going on. And to do so quickly.

Ganondorf no longer felt the fear that had consumed him. And thus, his arrogance and over confidence returned full first. Climbing to his feet, the wizard said.

"Let me guess, you are now going to swear to kill me, just like any other hero, but fail. Just like any other hero."

"_**No." **_Regardless to say, quite a few people where shocked at this blunt answer. _**"I am not to be your executioner, through they are in this very room. However, you still have to fear me wizard. You think you know everything about power. Well it is time for you the face the power from within. Shimon, open."**_

Shimon, the eighth chakra gate… to open is a great feat. Be one has to open all other gates first… to open all of the chakra gates at once is a remarkable achievement.

However, there is a price for the immense power given by the final chakra gate. For Shimon…. is the gate of death.

"_**It is time for you the face the most powerful jutsu ever created Ganondorf. It is the first that the Sage of the six paths – Uzumaki Arashi – created. Ironic that this attack, the foundation of all other Ninjutsu, is the most powerful. Only this technique can ever contain the power of infinity"**_ Once he had finished, Arren simply vanished.

There was not one warning that the Senshi was about to move, it was as he teleported in front of the force-field. The Pikku then slammed his fist into the shield… There was a moments silence, a moment of peace… but it was broken by one, single word.

"_**Shimetsu."**_

A blinding, colorless light echoed from Arren's hand as the force-field shattered. However, this did not shatter in all directions. All of the small, magical shards tore right through the vulnerable Senshi, decimating him.

Naruto quickly summoned up a shield of earth – a jutsu taught to him by Arren – protecting himself from the shards. Patiently, Naruto waited. Strange as it was, The Pikku – who is even more impatient himself – taught the Namikaze how to be patient. once a few minutes of silence had passed, the black-clad Shinobi lowered the rock wall.

Ganondorf was slumped against the rear wall, blown back by the Jutsu. But Naruto spared him just one glance, before his gaze locked onto the Senshi. The Pikku was laying in the smack bang middle of the hall, and thus it didn't take to long for the Namikaze to reach his cousin. But he stopped short, frozen in horror by the sight of Arren's wounds.

The Senshi's skin was covered in lacerations, some of which showed bone peeking through. What skin that still remained was soaked in blood seeping out of the many open blood vessels. However, the body was nothing compared to the head, for the upper part of the Pikku's face was covered in disfiguring slashes, and blood. Strangely through, Arren's mouth had not been affected at all.

Naruto was shaken from his shock when he saw Hinata drop down beside the Senshi her hands covered in green healing chakra, the black-clad shinobi sighed in relief that his cousin was getting treated so soon. Relief that was crushed when his girlfriend let out a chocked cry.

"A-Arren's being ripped to shreds! Blood vessels, muscles, nervous system. Even his chakra system are deteriorating! Something's repairing the damage, but as soon as anything's been put back together, it's just been shredded again! At this rate he won't survive!" Cursing, Naruto asked.

"Is there anything you can do?"

"I-I don't know. I think I might be able to slow down this ripping. But that's it. I don't know what's going on. Something has locked away Haiya's chakra, stopping him from helping Arren get through this!" Swiftly, the two where joined by Eflower and Link. Upon seeing the injuries, the green-clad hero stopped cold.

"Man, I've seen a lot of serious injuries. But this… it's a miracle he's still alive!" The Hyrulain exclaimed, his eyes so wide it looked as if they where going to pop out of their sockets. The angel said nothing, as she just dropped next to the Senshi and started to get to work. Only for her eyes to go wide.

"Something's wrong, really wrong." Eflower said, visibly hesitating as she worked.

"What it is?" Naruto asked concerned, noticing the hesitation.

"He… He isn't human anymore. Arren's DNA is practically gone, all that remains is his six-wing angel DNA… Something's replacing his human DNA. I can tell what bits and pieces are. There is demonic DNA being added to Arren, some of which is identical to Haiya's. The rest of it is nothing like I've ever seen… I don't think this has been caused by those shards."

"You think Ganondorf is trying to reconstruct Arren?"

"No…. It's not him who's doing it… I can't tell who it is."

The Namikaze cursed again. "Why do things like this always have to happen?" He growled, finally wrenching his gaze away from the stricken Pikku. The black-clad Shinobi watched as the wizard slowly climbed to his feet.

"Damn it, what the hell does it take to bring that guy down?" Naruto asked as he summoned Fuzen Ate, drawing Uzu Izou after he did so. Chuckling once more, Ganondorf spoke.

"Well, well. That was quite impressive." The wizard paused as he wiped blood off his mouth. "If it wasn't for my shield, I would actually be dead. But now… there is no one that challenge me!" With as small flick of his hand, Ganondorf summoned the blade he was fighting with to his hand. A sword that the Six Sages used in an attempted to execute him. But the wizard had taken the weapon, killing one of the Sages in the processes. Now the blade was corrupted, bent to the will of its master. Ganondorf.

(B/N The Six Sages… The Sage of the Six paths… Coincidence?)

The two remaining fighter's looked at each other, no works or action where needed to see the message in the others eyes. _'It's up to us to take him down' _Naruto stepped forwards, moving round Arren, only to be stopped when the Senshi spoke.

"Naruto." Through he was bordering on death, The Pikku's voice was as strong as it was while in prime condition. Swiftly the black-clad Shinobi knelt down next to him.

"Conserve your strength, you need it." The Namikaze told his cousin, his voice full of concern and worry.

"No I don't. You however, you need all the help you can get." Like lightning, Arren grabbed Naruto's arm. The black-clad Shinobi watched as forest green chakra left the Senshi and started up the arm towards him. The Namikaze tried to yank his arm out of the Pikku's grip. But nothing could break it now.

"Take my armor, I won't be needing it where I'm going."

"Your not going to die!" Naruto said sharply, knowing what Arren meant in an instant.

"We shall see, we shall see." Slowly the Senshi let is grip slacken. And soon enough, The Pikku's dark blue eyes closed, slipping into the black void. Standing up, the Black-clad Shinobi inspect there amour he know wore.

Like Arren's, the armor was plate armor, with chain covering the limbs. However it was different in color. Instead of being yellow plate with navy blue chain, it was sky blue plate with flame orange chain. The Namikaze could see fangs coming down from the top of his long helmet, figuring that it was shaped like a fox's head. Glancing over his shoulder, Naruto spied an orange cape flowing behind him. The pattern was strange, with the end of the cape being white… it looked a lot like nine tails. Once he had finished, the newly armored Shinobi turned to glare at Ganondorf, his eyes blazing red once more for a split second.

"Hinata-chan, Eflower, stay back and try to keep Arren alive. Link, your with me. It's time to show this guy why he doesn't mess with us."

The Namikaze didn't wait for a response, instead he charged forwards at full speed. Link followed swiftly, but the Hyrulain's speed was nothing compared to the Shinobi's. Without thinking, Naruto formed his favorite seal, _still holding the swords._

Somehow the armored fighter didn't harm himself, letting him perform his favorite jutsu. "Tajūu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Almost immediately, two thousands clones appeared near the Namikaze, each of them holding two swords.

The wizard didn't even flinch as so many copies where thrust into existence at once. _'Wait for it' _Ganondorf told himself as the army charged at him. _'I have to wait until there are both within the area of my trap.'_ And so, the wizard waited. The Naruto's were upon him just as Link entered the border of his trap. _'Now!'_

At his commanded, a huge purple seal suddenly flooded half of the hall, forming a huge arena for all of them to fight in. As the trap was deployed, the real Naruto lunged forwards into a double thrust, a raw yell tearing out of his throat as he attacked. He didn't notice the huge 'poof' as all of his clones where dispersed at once.

With an arrogant smirk, the wizard side stepped, swinging his corrupted blade towards the Namikaze's head. There was a loud clang as the sword smashed into Naruto's helmet, its magical aura leaving a large gash in the armor, and slamming the Shinobi into the wall.

Ganondorf was not expecting the armor to still be there, and thus his grip was light. The blade flew out of his hand, and with a curse, the wizard summoned it back. But that small delay allowed the Namikaze to recover. Swiftly Ganondorf stepped away.

"That armor should be gone, no energy is allowed to be molded in this arena without my say so. And it prevents you from escaping from me."

"Even you can't control Nature, and that is what this armor draws upon." The wizard grimaced, before smirking once more.

"That only creates a minor set back. All you have to save yourself are those long tooth picks that you laughingly call swords. Now, I do belief it is time for you to die." Ganondorf surged forwards, holding his weapon high to deliver a devastating overhead attack.

Naruto stepped forwards, meeting the wizard head on, brining his own two blades up in an X position, with the Uzu Izou behind the Fuzen Ate, giving it extra support, as the corrupted blade smashed into it. Swiftly the armored Shinobi kicked Ganondorf's stomach, knocking him onto the floor. The Namikaze tried to stab his floored opponent, but the wizard rolled out of the way. Rapidly the villain climbed to his feet, but was forced to jump back as Link swung the Master sword, tying to slice through his arm.

The two hero's wove a web of steel around Ganondorf, but each attack was countered by the wizard. For a full five minutes the three fought this way. Naruto and Link attacking, but Ganondorf stopped every slash and thrust. Dodging. Parrying. Blocking. However, this pattern could not last for every. One of the combatants where destined to make a mistake.

And it was the green-clad hero that did it. The Hyrulain mis-stepped while going in for another attack, going of balance. The wizard saw this, and slammed the back of his fist into Link's head. Sending him crashing to the ground, at the same time. Ganondorf unleashed a burst of magic from his blade, knocking Naruto of balance. However, the villain didn't press the advantage, but instead tried to impale the green-clad hero with his blade.

But Link rolled away, as the sword stabbed down where he was on the ground. He kicked at Ganondorf, while Naruto kicked him the back. Ganondorf fell forwards, but went into a handstand, with Naruto coming behind him. Ganondorf suddenly channeled magic into the sword, and a blast of energy leapt at Naruto, who got hit full on. He flew back, and crashed into the ground. Ganondorf did the same to Link, who barely blocked it with the Hylian shield. He launched another, but this time, Link swung his sword, and sent the magic blast back. Ganondorf struck it back, and Link dodged to one side. Naruto leapt forward, slashing downwards. Ganondorf barely got out of the way, but there was a slash down the front of the hardened leather tunic he wore. He growled, as Naruto leapt back.

"I'm not through yet!" He raised his sword up, and suddenly, several ghostly riders appeared, rushing at Naruto and Link. Naruto leapt up over them, while Link managed to dodge in between them. The riders hit the barrier, and vanished. Naruto landed, and rushed forward, faking a slash, and going into a thrust. Ganondorf parried the blade to one side, and punched Naruto, sending him flying. Naruto landed, and spat blood from his mouth.

"We're in trouble." He said softly, and Link nodded. Ganondorf smirked.

"I think it's time to show you exactly who you are messing with!" Suddenly, Ganondorf began to grow, and bulge, as he fell to his feet. He transformed into a giant, pig like creature, with a red, orange mane. He roared at them, glaring with yellow eyes. Naruto and Link stepped back.

"Okay.... how do we beat that?" Naruto asked softly. Link shook his head.

"We need help. Unfortunately....... the only person who can isn't here." Link said. He moved away, as the pig creature prepared to run them over. Suddenly, a huge yellow and black hand grabbed the creature and threw it into a wall. Link and Naruto looked up, as a giant figure made of black and yellow energy stood above them. The figure had seven or eight limbs, ending in hands. It's head was a cylinder, with a strange crown made of four rising prongs. Suddenly, the figure became smaller, and turned black, and white. Long orange hair flowed over a robe made of black and blue-green. Two slender arms reached up, and removed the strange armor, revealing a beautiful woman, with red/black pupils, and yellow eyes. She smiled at Link, as she spoke in a strange language, that somehow, they still understood.

"Long time no see, huh Link?" The woman said with a smile. Link just looked at her in amazement.

"Midna? What are you doing here?"

"You can thank the three goddesses. They thought you might need some help." She said, as she dispelled the barrier. She bowed at Naruto. "I'm Midna, Queen of the Twili."

Naruto nodded, only to be interrupted as Beast Ganon roared, as he got to his feet. Midna turned, her orange hair beginning to flare around her. "I thought we put him down all ready."

"We did. This is him, before he took over Zant." Link said. Midna looked at him, and Link shrugged. "It's a long story."

"Well, I'll hear it later. For now, let's bring home some bacon." She said with a smirk, as Ganondorf charged. Her hair flared around her, and turned into a hand, which grabbed the pig at his forehead. The pig was stopped, as it strained against Midna's hair/hand thing. Midna struggled for a moment, before throwing Beast Ganon to the side. Naruto jumped away from the chakra seal, and ran through some hand signs.

"**Fire Style, Dragon Inferno Jutsu!**" He unleashed a huge wave of fire at Ganon, who was lying on his side. There was a roar of pain, as the pig was engulfed in flames.

Naruto stopped, and the flames slowly died down. There wasn't anything there. The three of them looked around, until Naruto noticed a blank energy drifting towards Eflower and Hinata, who were busy helping Arren still. Naruto yelled out, as the energy solidified into Ganondorf, who grabbed Hinata, and held his sword to her throat.

"I don't know how you got here, she-witch. But if the three of you don't surrender, I'll cut her throat." Hinata just growled in annoyance, while Naruto just stood there. He slowly was lowering his sword, when Hinata did the unthinkable. She kicked Ganondorf in a sensitive are for men.

Ganondorf screamed in pain, before back handing Hinata. She fell to the ground, as Ganondorf raised his sword. Suddenly, Naruto was there, his blade blocking Ganondorf's. Ganondorf grunted, as he felt something different about the boy. Slowly, Naruto looked up, his eyes flashing red.

"Big......**MISTAKE!**" He yelled, as Daini's chakra flared, throwing Ganondorf back. The chakra continued to flare violently around him. It began to mutate the armor he was wearing, changing the blue armor pieces to blood red, and the orange chainmail into black. The eyes of the helmet glowed red, as a lower part formed over Naruto's lower face, creating a 'lower jaw' to the helmet.

Naruto crouched, before disappeared, and hitting Ganondorf with a punch at high speed. He kept up the barrage, sending Ganondorf flying. Into a wall, before continually striking him. Suddenly, Ganondorf's fist hit his face, sending him flying. Ganondorf came out, his dark aura flaring.

"That's it..... FEED ME! Feed me your rage, and anger!" Ganondorf yelled, following after Naruto. Midna and Link kept back, as neither could keep up with the speed they were at. Naruto growled, as he went after Ganondorf. The two engaged in an all out sword brawl, with fists, feet, elbows, and knees flying, while they tried to kill the other with their swords. Ganondorf yelled, as his corrupted sword flared with dark magic, and he slashed at Naruto, slashing open his breastplate, and chest. Naruto fell back, and hit the floor, as blood leaked out. Ganondorf smirked, as he readied his sword for the final blow.

"It was futile to begin. I am stronger than anything your world has ever seen." Suddenly, the Master Sword erupted through Ganondorf's chest. He coughed up blood, as he lowered his sword. Link stepped back, as Naruto slowly got to his feet.

"You're also..... the most arrogant." Naruto gasped out. With that, he swung Fuzen Ate, taking Ganondorf's head off. The body instantly disintegrated, and vanished into the winds. Naruto panted, as he dropped to the ground, slipping out of consciousness.

_Two weeks later_

Naruto sat in the hospital room of his cousin, Uzumaki Pikku Arren. For five days Konoha and their allies struggled to keep him alive, and at one point, it seemed that the Pikku did die. But now the Senshi was covered in bandages, and hooked up to some life support systems, feeding him, and keeping his hydrated. He sighed, as he lowered his head. So far, Arren was still unconscious, in a coma. Naruto and Eflower had barely left his side, leaving only long enough to get something to eat, or go to the bathroom.

Hinata came in, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Link and Midna are ready to go." She said softly. Naruto nodded, and gently placed his hand on hers. She smiled, and kissed his cheek. "I'll keep an eye on him for you."

Naruto squeezed her hand, before getting up, and kissing her. He turned and left, heading for the gate. There, Link, Midna, and four ANBU stood waiting. Naruto nodded, and the group left, heading back to Wave.

Two days later, Naruto, Link, and Midna stood in front of the Nexus, which pulsed gently. Naruto sighed, as he hugged Link. "I'm going to miss you." He said. Link just smiled.

"I'll miss you too." He said. Naruto pulled away, and bowed to Midna.

"I was honored to meet you."

"And I you, Naruto. And your girlfriend was quite friendly. Say bye to her for me." Midna said, in her strange language. Naruto just nodded. With that, Link and Midna stepped into the portal, and vanished. Naruto sighed, as Daini appeared next to him.

"They were good friends. If it wasn't for Link, me and you wouldn't be where we are now." Naruto nodded.

"Let's get this done." With that, he and Daini drew a seal on the ground, around the Nexus portal. Daini began chanting in an ancient language, and slowly, the portal diminished, before disappearing completely. Naruto closed his eyes, before turning away.

"Let's go home."

_Two Months Later_

Once more, Eflower and Naruto sat by Arren's bed_. _Waiting for the Senshi to awaken. This day, they had already spent four hours next to the Pikku_. _With a sigh, Naruto stood up.

"I suppose we better get going." One month ago, Tsunade threatened to ban them from seeing Arren. Naruto pointed out that he was the most powerful Shinobi of the village, but the Godaime Hokage countered this by telling them that if she moved Arren out of the hospital_,_and didn't tell them where she had moved him, they won't be able to find them, as there are some places which Naruto didn't know about. However, she did let them spend four hours a day by his side.

With a reluctant nod, Eflower stood up and followed Naruto out of the door. But before she left the room, she took one more glance at her love. As she gasped.

The Seal on Arren's stomach was glowing, and Haiya's chakra was leaking out of it. As she watched, the chakra slowly began to take shape, until eventually, a familiar_,_ tall, leather-clad figure was standing in the room.

"Haiya? What's going on?" Naruto asked, having stopped and looked in to the room when the angel gasped.

"Hell if I know." The demon replied glancing at the still unconscious Senshi. "Something is really wrong with the kid."

"What do you mean?" Eflower asked softly, her voice full of concern. The Hybrid sighed before answering.

"The Kid's mind scape, its changed. It's..... I couldn't get in there anymore. And then...... I got booted out here."

Naruto checked over the seal over. His eyes widened as he found out what was happening. "The seal is failing. You two are separating."

Haiaya's eyes widened, and then suddenly he screamed in pain, as chakra flowed from Arren, and into him. He dropped to his knees, panting, before transforming into his demon form, then turning back again. Slowly, he got back up, and shook his head.

Naruto and Eflower looked Arren over. Eflower finally sighed, as she sat back. "Well..... he's not worse then he was, but's he not better either."

Naruto gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be fine. Don't worry." Eflower nodded, as they got ready to leave. She turned back to look at Arren.

_Please, get well soon._

_Twenty Years Later_

Naruto sighed, as he finished another piece of paperwork. He sat back, enjoying a break in his duties. He knew being Hokage meant dealing mostly with paperwork. But still, some of this was ridiculous. Still, it was worth it, if it meant he could protect those who he cared about.

There was a knock on the door, and he turned to the door. "Come in."

A woman about 36 years of age entered. Her long red hair matched her mischievous eyes. As she smiled at him. "You called for me, Hokage-sama?"

Naruto smirked. "Nee-chan, how many times have I told you not to call me that?" The Kyuubi, now named Daini, just smiled, as she sat down. About five years after Haiya and Arren separated, Naruto and the hybrid demon had made a break through on the seals used on Naruto, Gaara, and Eflower. They had been able to modify them, so that the demons were able to live almost completely separately of their hosts. Also, the seals would release the demons on the death of their hosts.

Naruto reached under his desk, and pulled out Fuzen Ate. "This is why I called you here. Uzu Izou, being an Uzumaki heirloom, will be remaining in my clan. But this sword..... I have no claim to it. No one in this village does. And..... when I die, I'm afraid that it will fall into the wrong hands. Which is why.....when I die, I'm placing this sword in your hands."

Daini looked at him in amazement. "N-naruto, I can't take this."

"Daini, there is no one else I trust to watch this sword. This sword.... you're a part of it. I feel you are the one to watch over it, until someone else needs it's power. Please." The Kyuubi demoness slowly nodded, and Naruto smiled. "Don't worry. I don't plan on dying anytime soon. Now, isn't there a certain sand demon coming today?"

Daini blushed, before sobering. "How's Arren?"

Naruto closed his eyes. "No change, other than his age. He's still comatose. I..... I don't know what to do."

Daini just hugged him. "Have faith, otouto. He'll be fine." Naruto just nodded, before checking the time.

"Thanks. But if you'll excuse me..... there's someone who I need to go see.

_Near the Academy_

Aikou Namikaze hummed happily as she left the Academy. The little seven year old had blue hair, just like her mom, Hinata Namikaze. She also had the same eyes, but she had gotten three whisker marks on each cheek, like her father. She also had his energy and happy go lucky attitude. Unlike her older brother, Jurei. Her sixteen year old brother had spiky blue hair, and vivid blue eyes. He was all ready a chuunin, while she was barely starting the Academy.

She looked up, and saw her father approaching. She smiled, and ran towards him. He saw her smile, then that smile disappeared. Next thing she knew, she had been grabbed by someone.

Naruto yelled, as two men grabbed his daughter, and bolted at speed that only a ninja could achieve. He created a shadow clone, as he raced after them. "Get Hinata, Eflower, and every damn ANBU you can find!"

The two men carrying Aikou headed towards the Forest of Death. They were both Iwa ANBU, sent on a 'hands' mission to assassinate the youngest child of the son of Iwa's most hated enemy, Minato Namikaze. They knew it was a suicide mission, that their village wouldn't even recognize their sacrifice. But ti didn't matter to them. One of the ANBU turned, and launched several kunai at Naruto, who blocked them.

In the hospital room, in a room in the long term care section, green chakra began to seep around a prone figure.

Naruto shot a fireball at the Iwa ANBU who was stalling him, when the other disappeared into the trees. The second ANBU disappeared into the trees, only to trip. Naruto was on him, and slashed through him like he was butter. Leaving the corpse behind, he chased after the other ANBU. Suddenly, he found him in a clearing, holding his daughter with a kunai at her throat.

"Back off, or else I'll kill her!" Naruto stopped, and slowly sheathed his sword.

"What do you want?" He asked softly, his hands going up in a peaceful gesture. The ANBU smirked, holding the girl tighter.

"Simple. Just don't move." Suddenly, a fist smashed into Naruto's face. A clone of the man started beating up Naruto, while the real ANBU turned the girl around. "While your bastard of a father is getting what he deserves, I think I'll finish my mission."

In the hospital, there was suddenly a huge explosion of green chakra. Doctors and nurses rushed through the hospital, until a nurse ran into Arren's room. The equipment he had been hook up to was blown to the walls of the room, and he.... was simply gone.

In the forest, Aikou screamed, as the kunai flashed down at her. She closed her eyes, awaiting death. Only to hear a clang of metal on metal. She opened her eyes, and they widened even more.

Arren Pikku Uzumaki stood over her, his right arm held up. He was covered in the yellow and blue armor her father had told her about. His right arm vambrace had a blade extending from it, which blocked the kunai.

The ANBU stared in horror, at the man in front of him. His face was covered in a mask, which covered the upper section of his face. The only thing visible was a pair of glowing green eyes, and a mouth, set in a grin. The smile increased, as he shoved the ANBU back. "You have no idea, how good it feels to move again."

Naruto slammed a fist through the chest of the clone, and it turned into Mud. He shook his arm, and grabbed up Aikou, his eyes wide as he looked at Arren. The ANBU growled, before charging at Arren. The Uzumaki just smirked, as he ducked, and rammed a fist into the man's gut. A small blast of chakra knocked the man back several feet. He doubled over, holding his gut, only for Arren to smack his gut again with an uppercut, sending the man flying. Arren followed, hitting him with four more uppercuts, each accompanied by a blast of chakra, and the man flying. Then Arren spun, delivering a strong kick to his chin. The man went flying, and Arren appeared behind him. He struck at the Iwa ANBU's right side with his foot. The ANBu managed to block, only for Arren to attack the other side, and his head. A kick nailed him in there, followed by a fist. Arren rotated around, and prepared to finish the barrage. His fist glowed, as he shouted "**Arashi no Shimetsu!**"

The fist smashed into the ANBU's chest, and he crashed into the ground, creating a crater. Arren landed nearby, and dusted his hands. "Not a bad warm up." He turned around, his armor dispelling, but his mask still in place. Naruto just stared at him, while Aikou clug to him. Arren smiled as he opened his arms.

"What? No thank you for your cousin saving your butt, again?" Naruto just slowly stood up.

"Arren? That's really you, isn't it?" Arren nodded, and suddenly, the two were hugging, and laughing. Naruto punched him in the arm. "What the hell man?! You spend twenty years in a coma, and then come out like nothing happened."

At that moment, twenty ANBU, Hinata, Jurei, and Eflower landed near them. The ANBU quickly grabbed up the Iwa ANBU, while HInata hugged Aikou, kissing her and crying. Eflower just slowly approached Arren, who moved closer to her. "A-arren?"

"E." He said happily. Eflower stopped right in front of him, just looking at him. She slowly reached up, and touched his face. When she did realize he was real, she grabbed him in a hug. The two of them stayed like that for several minutes, Arren whispering softly to Eflower. Naruto and his family watched them, until they finally separated. But Eflower didn't let go of Arren, as he smiled at Naruto.

"So, got busy on a family while I was gone. That's good news. I would be out of a job , otherwise." When Naruto looked at him in confusion, Arren sighed.

"That last attack. I told you I wouldn't survive. And in a way, I was right. Arren Pikku Uzumaki.... died after that attack. I'm not human anymore. I'm..... I'm pure Pikku now. And..... Daishizen has called to me. The reason I was unconscious for twenty years was she was training me to be her avatar. Her champion. She wants me.... to be your 'guardian angel'."

Naruto smiled. "Well that's good news. But why the long face?" Arren sighed, as he lowered his head.

"Because I have to leave. Daishizen needs me to join her, so I can be on call, should she need me." Naruto lowered his head, while Hinata's eyes began to water a little. She slowly came over, and hugged Arren. Naruto came over to, and just looked at Arren.

"I guess that's the way things work, huh? You wake up from twenty year coma, and have to leave right afterwards."

Arren nodded, before hugging Naruto. "I'm going miss you." Naruto nodded.

"Hey, you'll be watching over us though, right? That makes me feel a whole lot better." He pulled away, before looking at Eflower. "You're going with him, aren't you?"

Eflower nodded, and then suddenly, she gasped, as she felt the seal holding Onbin burn. Onbin appeared, as the seal on Eflower faded. The eagle demoness looked at Eflower, before hugging her. "I guess this is goodby, huh?"

Eflower nodded, before pulling away. Arren and Eflower stood next to each other, as they began to fade. With a final wave, they both disappeared. Aikou looked up at her father. "Otou? Are you crying?"

Naruto just nodded, as he hugged Aikou to him. "Don't worry, honey. I'm fine. I'm just going to miss him." He looked up at the sky, before leading his family away.

**Epilogue**

_Naruto Namikaze lived many years. During his time as Rokudaime Hokage, he brought Konoha an era of peace and prosperity unlike any before him.__He went by many titles in his life. Rokudaime Hokage, Black Fox, Number One Unpredictable ninja. Faithful Husband, Loving Father._

_Thus ends, the Legend, of Naruto._

_But the Legend of the Outcast, has just begun… _

* * *

_**Translations:**_

_**Senshi**__: Warrior._

**Fūuton: Rasenshuriken: **Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken

**Seishitsu no Fungeki: Nature Fury.**

**Akuma Seishitsu no Fungeki: Demon Nature Fury.**

**Fūuton: Akuma Rasenshuriken: **Wind Release: Demon Spiraling Shuriken

**.Shugo Ryuu: Rasenshuriken Fungeki: Guardian Style: Spiraling Shuriken Fury. (Note that Ryuu also means dragon)**

**Gekido no Arashi Yousoken: **Fury of the Tempest.

**Shimetsu: **Extinction (Note that it also means Annihilation)

**Nani: **What

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**AP is having bloody stumps where his hands where healed by Eflower. Arren was standing near him, while everybody else was goggling at the story.**

**AP: Aw man, why did I have to type so much? And I still got 2 years of school left!**

**LR: What? How old are you?**

**AP: 14.**

**LR: … Oh. *Leaf Ranger faints***

**AP: … What just happened?**

**RS: Leafie's 21.**

**AP, Arren and Eflower: NANI?!**

**I want to say thanks to Allan Pike, for everything he did for this story. He was a great help in Beating this story, and lending me his OC's. Thank you, Allan Pike.**

**My first crossover is completed, and I hope you all like this. This is actually the longest chapter I have done, at 14 pages, and I don't know how many words. But.... it's done. Till later.**

**P.S. The Legend of the Outcast is Allan's idea. I have no idea what it is, other than it's a trilogy, using Legend of Naruto as the first. We'll just have to see how it plays out. **


End file.
